#281B53
Closest named color: Dark Indigo (#1F0954). oklch(27.4% 0.097 289), rgb(40, 27, 83).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (15.30:1).
About this color
#281B53 is a dark, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 27%, its chroma 0.097 and its hue 289°. Its hue sits on the cool side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dark Indigo (#1F0954), ΔE 0.044 away. White text reads best on it, at 15.30:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (27%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.097) |
| Temperature | cool |
| Nearest name | Dark Indigo (#1F0954) |
| Black text | 1.37:1 |
| White text | 15.30:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281B53 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 27, 83) |
| HSL | hsl(254, 51%, 22%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(27.4% 0.097 289) |
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 #281B53 | 15.30:1 | AAA | Lc -104.7 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281B53 | 1.37:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281B53 text on white | 15.30:1 | AAA | Lc 102.0 | Preferred for body text |
| #281B53 text on black | 1.37:1 | 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
#F5F4FF
oklch(97.1% 0.015 290.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E7FF
oklch(93.7% 0.032 289.6)
-
Step 200
200
#D7D3FF
oklch(88.4% 0.06 289.3)
-
Step 300
300
#BEB6FF
oklch(80.9% 0.102 288.9)
-
Step 400
400
#9F8CFF
oklch(70.7% 0.164 289.1)
-
Step 500
500
#8A69FF
oklch(63.1% 0.213 288.9)
-
Step 600
600
#7840FB
oklch(55.6% 0.256 288.9)
-
Step 700
700
#662EDB
oklch(49.1% 0.238 289)
-
Step 800
800
#532AB1
oklch(42.8% 0.197 289.1)
-
Step 900
900
#43298C
oklch(37.7% 0.154 288.8)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281B53
oklch(27.4% 0.097 289)
#281B53 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) | #002655 | 0.054 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #002452 | 0.054 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #1A2834 | 0.079 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #252525 | 0.098 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281B53
#281B53
oklch(27.4% 0.097 289)
- #2A2900
#2A2900
oklch(27.3% 0.059 108.3)
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 #281B53, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Indigo #1F0954 ΔE 0.044
- Midnight Blue #191970 ΔE 0.059
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.062
- Dark Purple #35063E ΔE 0.063
- Marine #042E60 ΔE 0.064
- Space Cadet #2B2D42 ΔE 0.067
- Deep Purple #36013F ΔE 0.068
- Eggplant #380835 ΔE 0.074
Use #281B53 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.