What color is #281137?

#281137 is a very dark violet. In RGB it is rgb(40, 17, 55), and in HSL hsl(276, 53%, 14%).

Is #281137 accessible as text?

On white, #281137 has a contrast ratio of 17.13:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.23:1 (fails). For text placed on #281137, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281137?

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

What colors go well with #281137?

#281137 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #203711. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #281137 below.

Is #281137 good for buttons?

#281137 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #281137 — black text only reaches 1.23:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #281137 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281137 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.

#281137 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281137

Not just a swatch — here's how #281137 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281137 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281137 Secondary #7E4630 Surface #EDD8C1 Accent #355249 Anchor #592236

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

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #281137 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

Deep Purple sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #281137 Anchor #141210 Accent #D99954 Secondary #2C2630 Surface #F3EDE3

Deep Purple 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 #281137 Secondary #453D4B Support #9C9088 Ink #18140F

Deep Purple 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 Deep Purple carrying the quiet middle.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281137 Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C213F Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

Deep Purple sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #281137 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 46/100

Neutral

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

Softness 23/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 75/100

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 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 77/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 28/100

Low

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

UI accent fit 18/100

Very 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 #281137

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281137 with

Navy Deep Purple Sacramento Green Gainsboro Onyx

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 17.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D6C2E4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #341137 — 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 #281137 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: #281137;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 17 55;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.3% 0.074 309.8);
  --color-50: #F8F3FC;
  --color-100: #EDDFF6;
  --color-200: #DBC1EC;
  --color-300: #BE95DA;
  --color-400: #A26DC5;
  --color-500: #844CA9;
  --color-600: #674082;
  --color-700: #4C325D;
  --color-800: #33243D;
  --color-900: #201726;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  deep-purple: {
    50: '#F8F3FC',
    100: '#EDDFF6',
    200: '#DBC1EC',
    300: '#BE95DA',
    400: '#A26DC5',
    500: '#844CA9',
    600: '#674082',
    700: '#4C325D',
    800: '#33243D',
    900: '#201726',
  },
}

$base: #281137;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F3FC;
$base-100: #EDDFF6;
$base-200: #DBC1EC;
$base-300: #BE95DA;
$base-400: #A26DC5;
$base-500: #844CA9;
$base-600: #674082;
$base-700: #4C325D;
$base-800: #33243D;
$base-900: #201726;
$base-hover: #200D2C;
$base-subtle: #C3A3D8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281137",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F3FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EDDFF6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DBC1EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BE95DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A26DC5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#844CA9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#674082",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4C325D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#33243D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201726",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}