#4E4438
Closest named color: Charcoal Grey (#3C4142). oklch(39.3% 0.024 72.1), rgb(78, 68, 56).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (9.51:1).
About this color
#4E4438 is a dark close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 39%, its chroma 0.024. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Charcoal Grey (#3C4142), ΔE 0.037 away. White text reads best on it, at 9.51:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | dark (39%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.024) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Charcoal Grey (#3C4142) |
| Black text | 2.20:1 |
| White text | 9.51:1 |
Values
| HEX | #4E4438 |
| RGB | rgb(78, 68, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(33, 16%, 26%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(39.3% 0.024 72.1) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #4E4438 | 9.51:1 | AAA | Lc -96.3 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #4E4438 | 2.20:1 | Fails | Lc 11.9 | Not readable |
| #4E4438 text on white | 9.51:1 | AAA | Lc 92.0 | Preferred for body text |
| #4E4438 text on black | 2.20:1 | Fails | Lc -10.4 | Not readable |
Tints and shades
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 900.
-
Step 50
50
#F6F5F4
oklch(97.1% 0.002 67.8)
-
Step 100
100
#ECE9E6
oklch(93.6% 0.005 67.8)
-
Step 200
200
#DDD8D2
oklch(88.5% 0.01 72.7)
-
Step 300
300
#C8BFB4
oklch(80.9% 0.018 73)
-
Step 400
400
#AC9E8E
oklch(70.7% 0.028 71.1)
-
Step 500
500
#988672
oklch(63.1% 0.036 70)
-
Step 600
600
#82705A
oklch(55.6% 0.04 72.4)
-
Step 700
700
#6E5E4A
oklch(49.2% 0.037 73)
-
Step 800
800
#5A4D3D
oklch(42.9% 0.031 72.6)
-
Step 900
900 (this color)
#4E4438
oklch(39.3% 0.024 72.1)
-
Step 950
950
#2B251E
oklch(26.9% 0.015 71.4)
#4E4438 with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #484437 | 0.011 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #4A4638 | 0.009 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #524241 | 0.020 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #464646 | 0.024 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #4E4438
#4E4438
oklch(39.3% 0.024 72.1)
- #3D4753
#3D4753
oklch(39.4% 0.024 253.1)
Analogous
Neighbouring hues, 30° either side.
Split complementary
The two hues beside the complement (150° and 210°).
Triadic
Three hues spaced 120° apart.
Palettes with this color
Curated palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.04 (OKLab) of #4E4438, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Charcoal Grey #3C4142 ΔE 0.037
- Dark Slate Gray #2F4F4F ΔE 0.056
- Purple Brown #673A3F ΔE 0.057
- Mud Brown #60460F ΔE 0.057
- Onyx #343A40 ΔE 0.061
- Charcoal #264653 ΔE 0.068
- Green Brown #544E03 ΔE 0.072
- Dark Grey Blue #29465B ΔE 0.075
Use #4E4438 in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.