#281B09
Closest named color: Dark Brown (#341C02). oklch(23.4% 0.036 73.4), rgb(40, 27, 9).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (16.78:1).
About this color
#281B09 is a very dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 23%, its chroma 0.036 and its hue 73°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dark Brown (#341C02), ΔE 0.028 away. White text reads best on it, at 16.78:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | very dark (23%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.036) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dark Brown (#341C02) |
| Black text | 1.25:1 |
| White text | 16.78:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281B09 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 27, 9) |
| HSL | hsl(35, 63%, 10%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(23.4% 0.036 73.4) |
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 #281B09 | 16.78:1 | AAA | Lc -106.1 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281B09 | 1.25:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281B09 text on white | 16.78:1 | AAA | Lc 103.7 | Preferred for body text |
| #281B09 text on black | 1.25:1 | 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
#EFE9E1
oklch(93.7% 0.013 75.4)
-
Step 200
200
#E3D7C8
oklch(88.5% 0.024 73.6)
-
Step 300
300
#D2BDA3
oklch(80.9% 0.043 73.1)
-
Step 400
400
#BB9A71
oklch(70.6% 0.068 72.4)
-
Step 500
500
#A9814B
oklch(63% 0.087 73.4)
-
Step 600
600
#956A2C
oklch(55.7% 0.095 73.3)
-
Step 700
700
#7F581F
oklch(49.1% 0.088 73)
-
Step 800
800
#67481C
oklch(42.7% 0.073 72.9)
-
Step 900
900
#543D1D
oklch(37.8% 0.057 73.7)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281B09
oklch(23.4% 0.036 73.4)
#281B09 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) | #201C07 | 0.018 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #231F09 | 0.017 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #2C1817 | 0.029 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #1D1D1D | 0.036 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281B09
#281B09
oklch(23.4% 0.036 73.4)
- #111F2E
#111F2E
oklch(23.4% 0.035 251.1)
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 #281B09, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Brown #341C02 ΔE 0.028
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.054
- Chocolate Brown #411900 ΔE 0.055
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.068
- Deep Brown #410200 ΔE 0.073
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.073
- Dark Maroon #3C0008 ΔE 0.075
- Very Dark Green #062E03 ΔE 0.082
Use #281B09 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.