#281C09
Closest named color: Dark Brown (#341C02). oklch(23.6% 0.036 77), rgb(40, 28, 9).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (16.66:1).
About this color
#281C09 is a very dark, muted brown. In OKLCH its lightness is 24%, its chroma 0.036 and its hue 77°. Its hue sits on the warm side of the wheel. The nearest named color is Dark Brown (#341C02), ΔE 0.027 away. White text reads best on it, at 16.66:1.
| Hue family | Browns |
| Lightness | very dark (24%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.036) |
| Temperature | warm |
| Nearest name | Dark Brown (#341C02) |
| Black text | 1.26:1 |
| White text | 16.66:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281C09 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 28, 9) |
| HSL | hsl(37, 63%, 10%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(23.6% 0.036 77) |
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 #281C09 | 16.66:1 | AAA | Lc -106.0 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281C09 | 1.26:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281C09 text on white | 16.66:1 | AAA | Lc 103.5 | Preferred for body text |
| #281C09 text on black | 1.26:1 | 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
#F8F5F1
oklch(97.1% 0.006 75.4)
-
Step 100
100
#EFE9E1
oklch(93.7% 0.013 75.4)
-
Step 200
200
#E2D7C8
oklch(88.4% 0.024 75.8)
-
Step 300
300
#D1BEA2
oklch(81% 0.044 77.6)
-
Step 400
400
#B99B70
oklch(70.6% 0.068 76.2)
-
Step 500
500
#A78249
oklch(63% 0.088 76.9)
-
Step 600
600
#926B2A
oklch(55.5% 0.095 77.1)
-
Step 700
700
#7D591C
oklch(49.1% 0.089 76.6)
-
Step 800
800
#65491A
oklch(42.6% 0.073 77.2)
-
Step 900
900
#533D1C
oklch(37.7% 0.057 75.6)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281C09
oklch(23.6% 0.036 77)
#281C09 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) | #211C07 | 0.015 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #231F0A | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #2C1918 | 0.031 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #1E1E1E | 0.036 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281C09
#281C09
oklch(23.6% 0.036 77)
- #131F2F
#131F2F
oklch(23.7% 0.035 255.9)
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 #281C09, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Dark Brown #341C02 ΔE 0.027
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.052
- Chocolate Brown #411900 ΔE 0.055
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.068
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.074
- Deep Brown #410200 ΔE 0.074
- Dark Maroon #3C0008 ΔE 0.078
- Very Dark Green #062E03 ΔE 0.079
Use #281C09 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.