#281E49
Closest named color: Oxford Blue (#1B263B). oklch(27.2% 0.077 291.1), rgb(40, 30, 73).
Aa
White text reads best on this color (15.30:1).
About this color
#281E49 is a dark, moderately saturated purple. In OKLCH its lightness is 27%, its chroma 0.077 and its hue 291°. Its hue sits between the warm and cool halves of the wheel. The nearest named color is Oxford Blue (#1B263B), ΔE 0.045 away. White text reads best on it, at 15.30:1.
| Hue family | Purples |
| Lightness | dark (27%) |
| Chroma | moderately saturated (0.077) |
| Temperature | in between |
| Nearest name | Oxford Blue (#1B263B) |
| Black text | 1.37:1 |
| White text | 15.30:1 |
Values
| HEX | #281E49 |
| RGB | rgb(40, 30, 73) |
| HSL | hsl(254, 42%, 20%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(27.2% 0.077 291.1) |
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 #281E49 | 15.30:1 | AAA | Lc -104.8 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #281E49 | 1.37:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #281E49 text on white | 15.30:1 | AAA | Lc 102.1 | Preferred for body text |
| #281E49 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
#F5F4FD
oklch(97% 0.012 291.3)
-
Step 100
100
#E9E7FB
oklch(93.5% 0.027 290.5)
-
Step 200
200
#D9D4F9
oklch(88.6% 0.051 291.5)
-
Step 300
300
#C0B7F7
oklch(80.9% 0.09 290.7)
-
Step 400
400
#A28EF4
oklch(70.7% 0.147 291.2)
-
Step 500
500
#8D6EEF
oklch(63% 0.186 291.2)
-
Step 600
600
#7952DE
oklch(55.6% 0.203 291.2)
-
Step 700
700
#6641C0
oklch(49% 0.188 291.3)
-
Step 800
800
#53379C
oklch(42.8% 0.156 291.1)
-
Step 900
900
#44317C
oklch(37.7% 0.122 291.1)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#281E49
oklch(27.2% 0.077 291.1)
#281E49 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) | #0B264A | 0.045 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #0C2448 | 0.043 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #1F2730 | 0.063 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #252525 | 0.077 |
Harmonies
Hue rotations in OKLCH that keep this color's lightness and chroma.
Complementary
The opposite hue (180°).
- #281E49
#281E49
oklch(27.2% 0.077 291.1)
- #282900
#282900
oklch(27.1% 0.06 111.2)
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 #281E49, closest first.
Similar named colors
The eight closest entries in our named color list, with their ΔE distance.
- Oxford Blue #1B263B ΔE 0.045
- Space Cadet #2B2D42 ΔE 0.052
- Dark Indigo #1F0954 ΔE 0.056
- Dark #1B2431 ΔE 0.058
- Dark Purple #35063E ΔE 0.060
- Eggplant #380835 ΔE 0.066
- Marine #042E60 ΔE 0.067
- Deep Purple #36013F ΔE 0.068
Use #281E49 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.