What color is #261B41?

#261B41 is a dark indigo. In RGB it is rgb(38, 27, 65), and in HSL hsl(257, 41%, 18%).

Is #261B41 accessible as text?

On white, #261B41 has a contrast ratio of 15.96:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.32:1 (fails). For text placed on #261B41, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #261B41?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-950 (#1E1A4D).

What colors go well with #261B41?

#261B41 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #36411B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #261B41 below.

Is #261B41 good for buttons?

#261B41 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #261B41 — black text only reaches 1.32:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #261B41 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #261B41 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#261B41 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #261B41

Not just a swatch — here's how #261B41 works with other colors. Named schemes with #261B41 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #261B41 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #23334A

Russian Violet opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #261B41 Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7F92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Russian Violet keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #261B41 Secondary #7E4632 Surface #EDD8C2 Accent #355248 Anchor #582237

Russian Violet plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #261B41 Anchor #141210 Accent #DA9856 Secondary #292732 Surface #F3ECE3

Russian Violet carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #261B41 Secondary #474553 Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Russian Violet is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Russian Violet carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #261B41 actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 41/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 25/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 75/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 27/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 22/100

Low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 47/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 91/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #261B41

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #261B41 with

Yale Blue Russian Violet British Racing Green Gainsboro

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 16.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D0C9E2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #321B41 — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #261B41 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #261B41;
  --color-base-rgb: 38 27 65;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(25.7% 0.069 294.3);
  --color-50: #F6F4FB;
  --color-100: #E7E2F3;
  --color-200: #CFC6E7;
  --color-300: #AC9DD2;
  --color-400: #8A77BB;
  --color-500: #6B569E;
  --color-600: #56477A;
  --color-700: #403758;
  --color-800: #2C273A;
  --color-900: #1C1924;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  russian-violet: {
    50: '#F6F4FB',
    100: '#E7E2F3',
    200: '#CFC6E7',
    300: '#AC9DD2',
    400: '#8A77BB',
    500: '#6B569E',
    600: '#56477A',
    700: '#403758',
    800: '#2C273A',
    900: '#1C1924',
  },
}

$base: #261B41;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F4FB;
$base-100: #E7E2F3;
$base-200: #CFC6E7;
$base-300: #AC9DD2;
$base-400: #8A77BB;
$base-500: #6B569E;
$base-600: #56477A;
$base-700: #403758;
$base-800: #2C273A;
$base-900: #1C1924;
$base-hover: #1E1634;
$base-subtle: #B8ADD4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#261B41",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F4FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7E2F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CFC6E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AC9DD2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8A77BB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6B569E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#56477A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#403758",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C273A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1924",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}