#281E38
Closest named color: Oxford Blue (#1B263B). oklch(26% 0.049 300.8), rgb(40, 30, 56).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (15.75:1).
About this color
#281E38 is a dark, muted purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 26%, its chroma 0.049 and its hue 301°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Oxford Blue (#1B263B), ΔE 0.032 away. White text reads best on it, at 15.75:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (26%) |
| Chroma | muted (0.049) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Oxford Blue (#1B263B) |
| Black text | 1.33:1 |
| White text | 15.75:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281E38 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 30, 56) |
| HSL | hsl(263, 30%, 17%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(26% 0.049 300.8) |
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 #281E38 | 15.75:1 | AAA | Lc -105.3 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281E38 | 1.33:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281E38 text on white | 15.75:1 | AAA | Lc 102.7 | Preferred for body text |
| #281E38 text on black | 1.33:1 | 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
#EBE7F4
oklch(93.5% 0.018 300.1)
-
Step 200
200
#DCD5EC
oklch(88.6% 0.032 299.6)
-
Step 300
300
#C6B9E1
oklch(81% 0.057 300)
-
Step 400
400
#AA93D2
oklch(70.7% 0.093 300.8)
-
Step 500
500
#9677C6
oklch(63.1% 0.12 301.1)
-
Step 600
600
#805FB2
oklch(55.5% 0.128 300.6)
-
Step 700
700
#6D4E9A
oklch(49.2% 0.121 300.9)
-
Step 800
800
#58407C
oklch(42.6% 0.099 300.7)
-
Step 900
900
#493764
oklch(37.8% 0.077 301.2)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281E38
oklch(26% 0.049 300.8)
#281E38 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) | #172339 | 0.032 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #192337 | 0.030 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #252228 | 0.037 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #232323 | 0.049 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281E38
#281E38
oklch(26% 0.049 300.8)
- #212709
#212709
oklch(25.9% 0.049 119.5)
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 #281E38, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.032
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.035
- Jet #212529 ΔE 0.044
- Space Cadet #2B2D42 ΔE 0.049
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.057
- Eggplant #380835 ΔE 0.060
- Dark Purple #35063E ΔE 0.063
- Gunmetal #293241 ΔE 0.064
Use #281E38 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.