NEUTRALS

Octavius

#38393F

RGB 56, 57, 63 · HSL 231°, 6%, 23% · CMYK 11, 10, 0, 75

Octavius is #38393F in HEX — rgb(56, 57, 63), hsl(231°, 6%, 23%), cmyk(11%, 10%, 0%, 75%).

Octavius pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 231°, 6%, 23%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on main walls, trims, ceilings — versatile across nearly any style. Reads best alongside soft whites, natural wood, matte black trim, linen.

Color Codes

HEX#38393F

RGB56, 57, 63

HSL231°, 6%, 23%

HSV231°, 11%, 25%

CMYK11, 10, 0, 75

Decimal3684671

CSS RGBrgb(56, 57, 63)

CSS HSLhsl(231, 6%, 23%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Hallman-Lindsay

Octavius 522

Exact match

Vista Paint

Octavius C-521

ΔE 0.8 · #39393E

Dulux

Antarctic Deep S40A9

ΔE 1.2 · #35383F

Benjamin Moore

After CSP-630

ΔE 1.8 · #34393F

Behr

Black Garnet N110-7

ΔE 1.8 · #38363D

Sherwin-Williams

Black Swan SW6279

ΔE 2 · #3A373E

RAL

Granite Grey 7026

ΔE 3.1 · #2F353B

Valspar

Dark Kettle Black 4011-2

ΔE 3.6 · #3F4043

Dunn-Edwards

Dark Engine DE6350

ΔE 3.7 · #3E3F41

PPG

Wright Midnight FLLW36

ΔE 3.8 · #404149

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 4.2 · #383737

Kilz

True Black RM260A

ΔE 4.3 · #3D3D3D

Colorhouse

Nourish .06 Nourish-06

ΔE 4.3 · #313536

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black 256

ΔE 4.8 · #3B3938

IKEA

IKEA163 163

ΔE 5.4 · #423A45

Dutch Boy

Dark Chocolate D-6782

ΔE 11.4 · #392A27

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

4/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneBlue UndertoneViolet

A near-neutral with a subtle neutral violet undertone — it will pick up colour from surrounding surfaces and shift noticeably under different light.

Color Theory

Complementary

#38393F

#3E3D37

Analogous

#373C3E

#38393F

#3A373E

Triadic

#38393F

#3E3738

#383E37

Split-Complementary

#38393F

#3E3A37

#3C3E37

Tetradic

#38393F

#3E373C

#3E3D37

#373E3A

Monochromatic

#0C0C0E

#131416

#38393F

#5B5D67

#80828E

Rectangle

#38393F

#3D373E

#3E3D37

#383E37

Compound

#38393F

#3A373E

#3E3D37

#3C3E37

Variations

Lighter

#5C5E68

#83858F

#B7B8BD

Darker

#2C2D32

#1E1F22

#111214

Saturation

#3A3A3C

#37383E

#1C255A

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens

Best Uses

main walls, trim, accents

Pairs With

soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

11.51:1

AAA

vs Black

1.83:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#38393F

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#38393F

#39393E

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#38393F

#383A39

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Octavius gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm

PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless

versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall

How it looks under different light

#69574A

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#38393F

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#575C6F

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EAEAEB

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#3E3B25

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Aura Interior (for richer color depth in deep tones)

Recommended Finishes

Matte (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Satin (doors)

Deep colors look best in matte — gloss exaggerates surface flaws. Reserve subtle sheen for trim, doors, and high-touch areas.

Best Surfaces

Accent walls · Doors · Cabinetry · Built-ins

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Tinted primer in a similar value is highly recommended — saves a coat and prevents the wall colour from washing the surface.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #38393F;

CSS — background

background-color: #38393F;

CSS Variable

--color-octavius: #38393F;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'octavius': '#38393F' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#38393F] text-[#38393F]

SCSS

$octavius: #38393F;

Similar Colors

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#3C3B40 · ΔE 1.5

Black Berry

#3A3B3F · ΔE 1.6

After Midnight

#33383E · ΔE 1.9

Soot

#373C41 · ΔE 2.1

Black Ink

#373A3D · ΔE 2.2

Ebony King

#383A3C · ΔE 2.7

Black Iron

#3A3C3E · ΔE 2.9

Galaxy

#413D44 · ΔE 3.2

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #38393F?

#38393F is Octavius, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #38393F warm or cool?

Octavius reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Octavius?

Octavius works well in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens. Designers typically use it for main walls, trim, accents.

What colors pair well with Octavius?

Octavius pairs naturally with soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Octavius?

You can download Octavius on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Octavius?

The hex code is #38393F. In RGB it's 56, 57, 63, and in HSL it's 231°, 6%, 23%.

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