#281D17
Closest named color: Jet (#212529). oklch(24.2% 0.021 50), rgb(40, 29, 23).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (16.42:1).
About this color
#281D17 is a very dark close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 24%, its chroma 0.021. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. The nearest named color is Jet (#212529), ΔE 0.036 away. White text reads best on it, at 16.42:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | very dark (24%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.021) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Jet (#212529) |
| Black text | 1.27:1 |
| White text | 16.42:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281D17 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 29, 23) |
| HSL | hsl(21, 27%, 12%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(24.2% 0.021 50) |
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 #281D17 | 16.42:1 | AAA | Lc -105.8 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281D17 | 1.27:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281D17 text on white | 16.42:1 | AAA | Lc 103.4 | Preferred for body text |
| #281D17 text on black | 1.27:1 | 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
#F7F5F3
oklch(97.1% 0.003 67.8)
-
Step 100
100
#EEE9E6
oklch(93.7% 0.007 53.4)
-
Step 200
200
#E1D7D1
oklch(88.5% 0.014 53.3)
-
Step 300
300
#CEBCB3
oklch(80.8% 0.024 48.4)
-
Step 400
400
#B69A8B
oklch(70.7% 0.04 49.9)
-
Step 500
500
#A3816F
oklch(63.1% 0.05 49.3)
-
Step 600
600
#8E6A57
oklch(55.6% 0.054 49)
-
Step 700
700
#795947
oklch(49.3% 0.051 50.5)
-
Step 800
800
#62483A
oklch(42.6% 0.042 49.5)
-
Step 900
900
#503D32
oklch(37.7% 0.032 51.5)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281D17
oklch(24.2% 0.021 50)
#281D17 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) | #201E17 | 0.016 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #232017 | 0.014 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #2B1B1B | 0.013 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #1F1F1F | 0.021 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281D17
#281D17
oklch(24.2% 0.021 50)
- #152228
#152228
oklch(24.3% 0.021 228.4)
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 #281D17, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.036
- Dark Brown #341C02 ΔE 0.036
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.050
- Chocolate Brown #411900 ΔE 0.058
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.060
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.066
- Dark Maroon #3C0008 ΔE 0.075
- Deep Brown #410200 ΔE 0.075
Use #281D17 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.