#281B36
Closest named color: Oxford Blue (#1B263B). oklch(25.2% 0.052 305.1), rgb(40, 27, 54).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (16.15:1).
About this color
#281B36 is a dark, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 25%, its chroma 0.052 and its hue 305°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Oxford Blue (#1B263B), ΔE 0.039 away. White text reads best on it, at 16.15:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (25%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.052) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Oxford Blue (#1B263B) |
| Black text | 1.30:1 |
| White text | 16.15:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281B36 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 27, 54) |
| HSL | hsl(269, 33%, 16%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(25.2% 0.052 305.1) |
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 #281B36 | 16.15:1 | AAA | Lc -105.6 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281B36 | 1.30:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281B36 text on white | 16.15:1 | AAA | Lc 103.0 | Preferred for body text |
| #281B36 text on black | 1.30:1 | 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
#F7F4FA
oklch(97.1% 0.009 308.4)
-
Step 100
100
#ECE7F4
oklch(93.6% 0.018 303.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DED4EC
oklch(88.5% 0.034 304.5)
-
Step 300
300
#CAB7E1
oklch(80.9% 0.062 305.6)
-
Step 400
400
#AF91D2
oklch(70.7% 0.098 305.2)
-
Step 500
500
#9C74C6
oklch(63.1% 0.126 305.5)
-
Step 600
600
#865BB3
oklch(55.5% 0.138 304.9)
-
Step 700
700
#724B9A
oklch(49.2% 0.127 305)
-
Step 800
800
#5D3E7D
oklch(42.8% 0.105 305.1)
-
Step 900
900
#4C3564
oklch(37.7% 0.082 305.4)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281B36
oklch(25.2% 0.052 305.1)
#281B36 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) | #142037 | 0.037 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #172135 | 0.035 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #261F25 | 0.039 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #212121 | 0.052 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281B36
#281B36
oklch(25.2% 0.052 305.1)
- #1C2607
#1C2607
oklch(25.1% 0.052 125.2)
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 #281B36, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.039
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.040
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.049
- Eggplant #380835 ΔE 0.053
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.055
- Dark Purple #35063E ΔE 0.057
- Space Cadet #2B2D42 ΔE 0.058
- Aubergine #3D0734 ΔE 0.060
Use #281B36 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.