#38271E Color
#38271E is rgb(56, 39, 30) in RGB, hsl(21, 30%, 17%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 30%, 46%, 78%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Bister (Bistre) (#3D2B1F), very hard to tell apart at ΔE 2.78. White text is the more readable choice on this background.
#38271Ergb(56, 39, 30)hsl(21, 30%, 17%)hsv(21, 46%, 22%)cmyk(0%, 30%, 46%, 78%)oklch(29% 0.03 49)lab(17.52% 7.19 9.26)lch(17.52% 11.72 52.19)What #38271E Is Called
Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #38271E, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.
Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every brown in the library.
#38271E Channel Values
How #38271E breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.
| Model | Channels | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | R 56 · G 39 · B 30 | 8-bit channels as sent to the display |
| HSL | H 21° · S 30% · L 17% | Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants |
| HSV | H 21° · S 46% · V 22% | Matches the picker in most design tools |
| CMYK | C 0% · M 30% · Y 46% · K 78% | Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing |
| Luminance | 14.22:1 vs white · 1.48:1 vs black | WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios |
Text Contrast & Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #38271E background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.
Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #38271E in the contrast checker.
Colors That Go With #38271E
Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #38271E; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.
Tints & Shades of #38271E
Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.
Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #38271E.
How #38271E Looks with Color Vision Deficiency
Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.
#38271E#2A2A1E#30291E#2D2D1D#322B1E#392626#382623#2B2B2BUsing #38271E in Code
Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.
--color-38271e: #38271E;background-color: #38271E;colors: { 'color-38271e': '#38271E' }Color(red: 0.220, green: 0.153, blue: 0.118)<color name="color_38271e">#38271E</color>fill="#38271E"More Brown Colors
#38271E sits in the brown family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.
#38271E Frequently Asked Questions
What color is #38271E?
#38271E is a darkest brown — rgb(56, 39, 30) in RGB and hsl(21, 30%, 17%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Bister (Bistre) (#3D2B1F), which is very hard to tell apart at a CIE76 distance of 2.78.
What is the RGB value of #38271E?
#38271E is rgb(56, 39, 30) — red 56, green 39, and blue 30 on the 0-255 scale.
What is the CMYK value of #38271E?
#38271E converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 30%, 46%, 78%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.
Should text on #38271E be black or white?
White text is the more readable choice. #38271E scores 14.22:1 against white and 1.48:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.
Can I write #38271E as a CSS color keyword?
No. #38271E is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is black (#000000) at a CIE76 distance of 21.08, which is visibly different.
Open #38271E in a Tool
Keep exploring: every brown in the color library, the guide to shades of brown, or the full color library.