#281C38
Closest named color: Oxford Blue (#1B263B). oklch(25.6% 0.053 302.6), rgb(40, 28, 56).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (15.98:1).
About this color
#281C38 is a dark, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 26%, its chroma 0.053 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 0.037 away. White text reads best on it, at 15.98:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (26%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.053) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Oxford Blue (#1B263B) |
| Black text | 1.31:1 |
| White text | 15.98:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281C38 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 28, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(266, 33%, 16%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(25.6% 0.053 302.6) |
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 #281C38 | 15.98:1 | AAA | Lc -105.5 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281C38 | 1.31:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281C38 text on white | 15.98:1 | AAA | Lc 102.9 | Preferred for body text |
| #281C38 text on black | 1.31:1 | 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
#F6F4FA
oklch(97% 0.008 301.4)
-
Step 100
100
#ECE7F4
oklch(93.6% 0.018 303.4)
-
Step 200
200
#DDD4ED
oklch(88.5% 0.035 302)
-
Step 300
300
#C8B7E3
oklch(80.8% 0.064 302.6)
-
Step 400
400
#AD91D5
oklch(70.7% 0.102 302.8)
-
Step 500
500
#9975CA
oklch(63.2% 0.129 302.4)
-
Step 600
600
#845CB6
oklch(55.7% 0.139 302.6)
-
Step 700
700
#704B9D
oklch(49.2% 0.131 302.7)
-
Step 800
800
#5B3E7F
oklch(42.7% 0.108 302.7)
-
Step 900
900
#4A3566
oklch(37.6% 0.084 302.3)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281C38
oklch(25.6% 0.053 302.6)
#281C38 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) | #152139 | 0.035 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #172237 | 0.034 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #252127 | 0.041 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #222222 | 0.053 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281C38
#281C38
oklch(25.6% 0.053 302.6)
- #1E2706
#1E2706
oklch(25.6% 0.054 123.2)
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 #281C38, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.037
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.039
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.049
- Space Cadet #2B2D42 ΔE 0.055
- Eggplant #380835 ΔE 0.055
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.056
- Dark Purple #35063E ΔE 0.058
- Aubergine #3D0734 ΔE 0.062
Use #281C38 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.