#281B16
Closest named color: Dark Brown (#341C02). oklch(23.7% 0.023 42), rgb(40, 27, 22).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (16.68:1).
About this color
#281B16 is a very dark close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 24%, its chroma 0.023. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Dark Brown (#341C02), ΔE 0.038 away. White text reads best on it, at 16.68:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | very dark (24%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.023) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Dark Brown (#341C02) |
| Black text | 1.25:1 |
| White text | 16.68:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281B16 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 27, 22) |
| HSL | hsl(17, 29%, 12%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(23.7% 0.023 42) |
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 #281B16 | 16.68:1 | AAA | Lc -106.0 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281B16 | 1.25:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281B16 text on white | 16.68:1 | AAA | Lc 103.6 | Preferred for body text |
| #281B16 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
#F8F5F3
oklch(97.2% 0.004 56.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EFE8E6
oklch(93.6% 0.008 36.6)
-
Step 200
200
#E2D6D1
oklch(88.4% 0.015 44.2)
-
Step 300
300
#D1BBB3
oklch(80.8% 0.028 41.1)
-
Step 400
400
#B9988C
oklch(70.6% 0.043 41)
-
Step 500
500
#A77F6F
oklch(63.1% 0.055 42.8)
-
Step 600
600
#926858
oklch(55.6% 0.06 41.7)
-
Step 700
700
#7C5648
oklch(49% 0.055 41.1)
-
Step 800
800
#65473B
oklch(42.8% 0.046 42.7)
-
Step 900
900
#523B33
oklch(37.6% 0.035 40)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281B16
oklch(23.7% 0.023 42)
#281B16 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) | #1E1C16 | 0.020 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #211F16 | 0.019 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #2B191A | 0.013 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #1E1E1E | 0.023 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281B16
#281B16
oklch(23.7% 0.023 42)
- #122126
#122126
oklch(23.7% 0.023 221)
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 #281B16, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Brown #341C02 ΔE 0.038
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.041
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.053
- Chocolate Brown #411900 ΔE 0.059
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.060
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.069
- Dark Maroon #3C0008 ΔE 0.071
- Deep Brown #410200 ΔE 0.072
Use #281B16 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.