NEUTRALS

Espresso

#3C3331

RGB 60, 51, 49 · HSL 11°, 10%, 21% · CMYK 0, 15, 18, 76

Espresso is #3C3331 in HEX — rgb(60, 51, 49), hsl(11°, 10%, 21%), cmyk(0%, 15%, 18%, 76%).

Espresso pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 11°, 10%, 21%. 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#3C3331

RGB60, 51, 49

HSL11°, 10%, 21%

HSV11°, 18%, 24%

CMYK0, 15, 18, 76

Decimal3945265

CSS RGBrgb(60, 51, 49)

CSS HSLhsl(11, 10%, 21%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Benjamin Moore

Espresso CSP-30

Exact match

Dulux

Blackbutt SG5A9

ΔE 1 · #3E3431

Behr

Bitter Chocolate 790B-7

ΔE 2 · #393432

Kilz

Spice Brown TB-30

ΔE 2.1 · #372F2E

Sherwin-Williams

Black Bean SW6006

ΔE 2.2 · #403330

Vista Paint

Carbon Copy K-816

ΔE 3.5 · #3C3731

RAL

Umbra Grey 7022

ΔE 3.5 · #332F2C

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black 256

ΔE 4 · #3B3938

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 4.2 · #383737

IKEA

IKEA197 197

ΔE 4.6 · #473633

Hallman-Lindsay

Film Noir 144

ΔE 4.8 · #473933

Dutch Boy

Dark Chocolate D-6782

ΔE 4.8 · #392A27

Dunn-Edwards

Black DEA187

ΔE 4.8 · #3B3A3A

Valspar

Antique Burgundy 1011-8

ΔE 5.9 · #493C3F

PPG

Black Magic 1001-7

ΔE 6.5 · #414040

Colorhouse

Nourish .06 Nourish-06

ΔE 6.5 · #313536

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

TemperatureWarm MasstoneRed UndertonePink

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#3C3331

#30393B

Analogous

#3B3034

#3C3331

#3B3830

Triadic

#3C3331

#303B32

#32303B

Split-Complementary

#3C3331

#303B38

#30343B

Tetradic

#3C3331

#343B30

#30393B

#38303B

Monochromatic

#0E0C0B

#110E0E

#3C3331

#655653

#8F7A76

Rectangle

#3C3331

#393B30

#30393B

#32303B

Compound

#3C3331

#3B3830

#30393B

#30343B

Variations

Lighter

#675854

#90807C

#BDB5B4

Darker

#2F2826

#211B1A

#13100F

Saturation

#373534

#3B3230

#532318

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

12.28:1

AAA

vs Black

1.71:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#3C3331

#373631

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#3C3331

#353531

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#3C3331

#3C3333

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Espresso 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

#6C5340

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#3C3331

Daylight 5500K

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

#5A5864

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEA

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.

#223539

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: #3C3331;

CSS — background

background-color: #3C3331;

CSS Variable

--color-espresso: #3C3331;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'espresso': '#3C3331' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#3C3331] text-[#3C3331]

SCSS

$espresso: #3C3331;

Similar Colors

Espresso Bean

#3B3230 · ΔE 0.5

Bucktrout Brown

#352D2B · ΔE 2.9

Night Shade

#443A36 · ΔE 3.5

Black Beauty

#393736 · ΔE 3.6

Bittersweet Chocolate

#433731 · ΔE 3.7

Wenge

#3C2D2B · ΔE 3.7

Carbon Copy

#383537 · ΔE 4.0

Black Bean Soup

#453C39 · ΔE 4.1

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 #3C3331?

#3C3331 is Espresso, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #3C3331 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Espresso?

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

What colors pair well with Espresso?

Espresso 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 Espresso?

You can download Espresso 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 Espresso?

The hex code is #3C3331. In RGB it's 60, 51, 49, and in HSL it's 11°, 10%, 21%.

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