What color is #281608?

#281608 is a very dark orange. In RGB it is rgb(40, 22, 8), and in HSL hsl(26, 67%, 9%).

Is #281608 accessible as text?

On white, #281608 has a contrast ratio of 17.38:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.21:1 (fails). For text placed on #281608, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281608?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is taupe-900 (#1D1816).

What colors go well with #281608?

#281608 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #081926. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #281608 below.

Is #281608 good for buttons?

#281608 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #281608 — black text only reaches 1.21:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #281608 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281608 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.

#281608 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281608

Not just a swatch — here's how #281608 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281608 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #281608 Secondary #B5651D Accent #747845 Surface #F4ECDD Anchor #3B2A20

This palette keeps Graphite as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281608 Secondary #7A4A24 Surface #E9DAC0 Accent #41503B Anchor #5B222B

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

Desert Clay Center · 5 colors

Center #281608 Surface #E2CEA8 Secondary #B07A55 Accent #95986E Anchor #3E2C20

Graphite holds the warm center of this desert palette with sand and clay beside it, a muted-sage accent and a dark-brown anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #281608 Surface #F0E9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #BAAF9F Ink #2B2723

Graphite 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #281608 Secondary #433C37 Support #9A9186 Ink #17140F

Graphite 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 Graphite carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #281608 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 61/100

Neutral

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

Softness 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 74/100

High

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

Naturalness 50/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 37/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 74/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 15/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 13/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 59/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281608

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281608 with

Oxblood Bistre Graphite Greige Taupe

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 17.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E7CEBA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #261F08 — 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 #281608 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: #281608;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 22 8;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(22.1% 0.038 57.2);
  --color-50: #FDF7F2;
  --color-100: #F9E9DC;
  --color-200: #F1D3BB;
  --color-300: #E3B28C;
  --color-400: #D09262;
  --color-500: #B5733F;
  --color-600: #8B5B37;
  --color-700: #62442C;
  --color-800: #412E20;
  --color-900: #281D16;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FDF7F2',
    100: '#F9E9DC',
    200: '#F1D3BB',
    300: '#E3B28C',
    400: '#D09262',
    500: '#B5733F',
    600: '#8B5B37',
    700: '#62442C',
    800: '#412E20',
    900: '#281D16',
  },
}

$base: #281608;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FDF7F2;
$base-100: #F9E9DC;
$base-200: #F1D3BB;
$base-300: #E3B28C;
$base-400: #D09262;
$base-500: #B5733F;
$base-600: #8B5B37;
$base-700: #62442C;
$base-800: #412E20;
$base-900: #281D16;
$base-hover: #1F1106;
$base-subtle: #DDB596;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281608",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FDF7F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F9E9DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F1D3BB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#E3B28C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#D09262",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#B5733F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#8B5B37",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#62442C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#412E20",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#281D16",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}