#281B05
Closest named color: Dark Brown (#341C02). oklch(23.3% 0.041 78.3), rgb(40, 27, 5).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (16.81:1).
About this color
#281B05 is a very dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 23%, its chroma 0.041 and its hue 78°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dark Brown (#341C02), ΔE 0.027 away. White text reads best on it, at 16.81:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | very dark (23%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.041) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dark Brown (#341C02) |
| Black text | 1.24:1 |
| White text | 16.81:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281B05 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 27, 5) |
| HSL | hsl(38, 78%, 9%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(23.3% 0.041 78.3) |
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 #281B05 | 16.81:1 | AAA | Lc -106.1 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281B05 | 1.24:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281B05 text on white | 16.81:1 | AAA | Lc 103.7 | Preferred for body text |
| #281B05 text on black | 1.24:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | 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 950.
-
Step 50
50
#F8F5F1
oklch(97.1% 0.006 75.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EFE9E0
oklch(93.6% 0.014 78.3)
-
Step 200
200
#E3D7C6
oklch(88.4% 0.026 76.8)
-
Step 300
300
#D2BD9E
oklch(80.8% 0.048 77.5)
-
Step 400
400
#BB9B69
oklch(70.7% 0.077 78.2)
-
Step 500
500
#AA823E
oklch(63.2% 0.099 78.6)
-
Step 600
600
#956A18
oklch(55.5% 0.107 78.1)
-
Step 700
700
#7F5807
oklch(49% 0.1 77.9)
-
Step 800
800
#67490D
oklch(42.8% 0.082 79.2)
-
Step 900
900
#543D15
oklch(37.7% 0.064 78.3)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281B05
oklch(23.3% 0.041 78.3)
#281B05 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) | #201B03 | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #231F06 | 0.016 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #2C1716 | 0.035 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #1D1D1D | 0.041 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281B05
#281B05
oklch(23.3% 0.041 78.3)
- #111E31
#111E31
oklch(23.4% 0.041 257.8)
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 #281B05, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Brown #341C02 ΔE 0.027
- Chocolate Brown #411900 ΔE 0.055
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.058
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.073
- Deep Brown #410200 ΔE 0.074
- Dark Maroon #3C0008 ΔE 0.077
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.078
- Very Dark Green #062E03 ΔE 0.080
Use #281B05 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.