#281B39
Closest named color: Oxford Blue (#1B263B). oklch(25.4% 0.057 302.5), rgb(40, 27, 57).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (16.07:1).
About this color
#281B39 is a dark, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 25%, its chroma 0.057 and its hue 303°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Oxford Blue (#1B263B), ΔE 0.040 away. White text reads best on it, at 16.07:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (25%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.057) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Oxford Blue (#1B263B) |
| Black text | 1.30:1 |
| White text | 16.07:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281B39 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 27, 57) |
| HSL | hsl(266, 36%, 16%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(25.4% 0.057 302.5) |
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 #281B39 | 16.07:1 | AAA | Lc -105.5 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281B39 | 1.30:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281B39 text on white | 16.07:1 | AAA | Lc 103.0 | Preferred for body text |
| #281B39 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
#F6F4FB
oklch(97.1% 0.009 299.2)
-
Step 100
100
#ECE7F5
oklch(93.6% 0.019 302.2)
-
Step 200
200
#DED4EE
oklch(88.6% 0.037 303.1)
-
Step 300
300
#C9B7E5
oklch(81% 0.067 302.8)
-
Step 400
400
#AE90D8
oklch(70.7% 0.107 302.9)
-
Step 500
500
#9A73CE
oklch(63.2% 0.138 302.4)
-
Step 600
600
#8559BB
oklch(55.6% 0.151 302.5)
-
Step 700
700
#7149A1
oklch(49.2% 0.139 302.6)
-
Step 800
800
#5C3C82
oklch(42.7% 0.115 302.9)
-
Step 900
900
#4B3469
oklch(37.7% 0.091 302.3)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281B39
oklch(25.4% 0.057 302.5)
#281B39 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) | #13213A | 0.039 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #162138 | 0.036 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #252027 | 0.043 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #212121 | 0.057 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281B39
#281B39
oklch(25.4% 0.057 302.5)
- #1E2703
#1E2703
oklch(25.5% 0.058 122.5)
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 #281B39, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.040
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.042
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.053
- Eggplant #380835 ΔE 0.053
- Dark Purple #35063E ΔE 0.054
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.057
- Space Cadet #2B2D42 ΔE 0.057
- Aubergine #3D0734 ΔE 0.060
Use #281B39 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.