#281B48
Closest named color: Oxford Blue (#1B263B). oklch(26.5% 0.081 293.5), rgb(40, 27, 72).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (15.66:1).
About this color
#281B48 is a dark, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 27%, its chroma 0.081 and its hue 293°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Oxford Blue (#1B263B), ΔE 0.049 away. White text reads best on it, at 15.66:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (27%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.081) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Oxford Blue (#1B263B) |
| Black text | 1.34:1 |
| White text | 15.66:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281B48 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 27, 72) |
| HSL | hsl(257, 45%, 19%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(26.5% 0.081 293.5) |
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 #281B48 | 15.66:1 | AAA | Lc -105.1 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281B48 | 1.34:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281B48 text on white | 15.66:1 | AAA | Lc 102.4 | Preferred for body text |
| #281B48 text on black | 1.34:1 | 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
#F5F4FE
oklch(97.1% 0.013 290.8)
-
Step 100
100
#EAE7FB
oklch(93.6% 0.027 292.8)
-
Step 200
200
#DAD3FA
oklch(88.5% 0.054 293.5)
-
Step 300
300
#C3B5F9
oklch(80.9% 0.096 293.6)
-
Step 400
400
#A68CF6
oklch(70.8% 0.152 293.4)
-
Step 500
500
#926AF2
oklch(63% 0.196 293.6)
-
Step 600
600
#7E4DE1
oklch(55.6% 0.213 293.5)
-
Step 700
700
#6A3DC3
oklch(49.1% 0.197 293.2)
-
Step 800
800
#57339E
oklch(42.7% 0.164 293.7)
-
Step 900
900
#472F7D
oklch(37.8% 0.126 293.6)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281B48
oklch(26.5% 0.081 293.5)
#281B48 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) | #05244A | 0.052 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #082247 | 0.049 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #20252E | 0.066 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #232323 | 0.081 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281B48
#281B48
oklch(26.5% 0.081 293.5)
- #252800
#252800
oklch(26.5% 0.06 114)
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 #281B48, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.049
- Dark Indigo #1F0954 ΔE 0.050
- Dark Purple #35063E ΔE 0.053
- Space Cadet #2B2D42 ΔE 0.060
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.061
- Deep Purple #36013F ΔE 0.061
- Eggplant #380835 ΔE 0.061
- Midnight Purple #280137 ΔE 0.068
Use #281B48 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.