#3c393d
a deep, muted gray · neutral · closest name: Black
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #3c393d is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Near-neutral, so temperature is a whisper rather than a statement — the tinted siblings below show which way it can lean.
Every format
| HEX | #3c393d |
| RGB | rgb(60, 57, 61) |
| HSL | hsl(285, 3%, 23%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(2%, 7%, 0%, 76%) |
| LAB | lab(24.4 2.2 -2.0) |
| LCH | lch(24.4 3.0 317.6) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.349 0.008 317.7) |
| Decimal | 3946813 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.235 0.224 0.239) |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #3c393d;
background-color: #3c393d;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#3c393d] bg-[#3c393d]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #3c393d;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.235, green: 0.224, blue: 0.239)
/* Android */
Color.parseColor("#3c393d")
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFF3C393D)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(61, 57, 60)Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #3c393d is pinned to step 900; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
:root {
--brand-50: #F7F7F8;
--brand-100: #F0EFF0;
--brand-200: #DEDDDF;
--brand-300: #C8C5C9;
--brand-400: #ACA8AE;
--brand-500: #918B93;
--brand-600: #7C767F;
--brand-700: #686369;
--brand-800: #534F54;
--brand-900: #3c393d;
--brand-950: #272527;
--brand: #3c393d;
--brand-ink: #ffffff;
}Colors that work with #3c393d
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
How to use #3c393d
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Body text and links on white
- ✓Borders, dividers and quiet backgrounds
- ✓Long-form reading surfaces
- ✓Headers, footers and dark-mode surfaces
- ✓Neutral UI chrome and typography
- ⚠Text on black or near-black surfaces
- ⚠Black text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #3A3D39 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #3A393D | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #3D393C | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #3C3D39 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #393D3A | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #3D3C39 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #393D3C | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #3D3A39 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Color previews
#3c393d text on a black background
contrast 1.84:1
#3c393d text on a white background
contrast 11.38:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #3c393d;
background-color: #3c393d;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #3c393d;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(60, 57, 61, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(60, 57, 61, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #3c393d; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #3c393d, #3D393B);
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #3c393d
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Gunmetal (#2a3439) — ΔE2000 8 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#3c393d in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
#3c393d, answered
What color is #3c393d?
#3c393d is a deep muted gray, closest to Black (ΔE2000 16). It sits at 285° on the hue wheel with 3% saturation and 23% lightness, which reads as neutral.
What is the RGB value of #3c393d?
rgb(60, 57, 61) — 60 red, 57 green and 61 blue out of 255, or 23.5% / 22.4% / 23.9% by channel.
Is #3c393d a light or a dark color?
It is a dark color. Relative luminance is 0.0422 and perceived brightness is 23%, so white text on it reaches 11.38:1.
Should I use black or white text on #3c393d?
White. It scores 11.38:1 against #3c393d, versus 1.84:1 for black — AAA at any size.
What is the complementary color of #3c393d?
#3A3D39 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #3C3D39 and #393D3A, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #3c393d?
For interface work: #F7F7F8 as the surface, #D7D5D8 for borders, #756F77 for secondary text, #3B3F37 as an accent and #413E42 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #3A393D and #3D393C stays calm, while #3A3D39 is the loudest partner.
What is #3c393d in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(2%, 7%, 0%, 76%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #3c393d warm or cool?
Neutral — it scores 51 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #493F37; nudged cooler, #2E363D.