What color is #38231F?

#38231F is a very dark, desaturated red, closest to the named color Ethereal Espresso. It belongs to the black family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #38231F?

The RGB value is 56, 35, 31: 56 red, 35 green and 31 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #38231F?

The complementary color is #1F3438, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #38231F?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.43:1 and white text 14.7:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#38231F color

#38231F rgb(56, 35, 31)

Shades of black

The hex color #38231F is a very dark, desaturated red.

In the RGB color model it is made of 22% red, 13.7% green and 12.2% blue (56, 35, 31).

Its hue angle is 10°, with 29% saturation and 17% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 38% magenta, 45% yellow and 78% black.

The closest named color is Ethereal Espresso (#3E2723), a difference of 1.6 ΔE, which is barely visible.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 14.7:1).

#38231F color codes

HEX	`#38231F`
RGB	`rgb(56, 35, 31)`
RGB percent	`rgb(22%, 13.7%, 12.2%)`
HSL	`hsl(10, 29%, 17%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(10, 45%, 22%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 38%, 45%, 78%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(16.22, 9.43, 6.77)`
CIE LCH	`lch(16.22, 11.61, 35.69)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(2.479, 2.142, 1.579)`
Decimal	`3679007`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #38231F, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #38231F	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.43:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	14.7:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#38231F as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	14.7:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.43:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #38231F looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #38231f; }
.text { color: #38231f; }
.border { border: 2px solid #38231f; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(56 35 31 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #38231f, #38301f); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #38231F?: #38231F is a very dark, desaturated red, closest to the named color Ethereal Espresso. It belongs to the black family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #38231F?: The RGB value is 56, 35, 31: 56 red, 35 green and 31 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #38231F?: The complementary color is #1F3438, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #38231F?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.43:1 and white text 14.7:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.