What color is #281809?

#281809 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(40, 24, 9), and in HSL hsl(29, 63%, 10%).

Is #281809 accessible as text?

On white, #281809 has a contrast ratio of 17.15:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.22:1 (fails). For text placed on #281809, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281809?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-900 (#1C1917).

What colors go well with #281809?

As a neutral, #281809 pairs cleanly with white, off-white and light grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a dark surface or high-contrast base and let the accent carry the color.

Is #281809 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281809 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.

#281809 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281809

Not just a swatch — here's how #281809 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281809 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281809 Secondary #7A4A23 Surface #E9DAC0 Accent #41503C Anchor #5B222A

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.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #281809 Secondary #B5651B Accent #737945 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #281809 Surface #EFE9DC 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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #281809 Anchor #141210 Accent #CCA04C Secondary #30271F Surface #F2EDE3

Graphite 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 #F7F4EF Accent #281809 Secondary #443D38 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.

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Color Lab

How #281809 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 60/100

Neutral

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

Softness 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

High

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

Naturalness 45/100

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 14/100

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 #281809

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281809 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 17.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E6D0BC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2A2409 — 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 #281809 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: #281809;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 24 9;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(22.6% 0.036 62.5);
  --color-50: #FDF7F2;
  --color-100: #F8EADD;
  --color-200: #F0D5BD;
  --color-300: #E0B68F;
  --color-400: #CD9765;
  --color-500: #B27943;
  --color-600: #88603A;
  --color-700: #61472E;
  --color-800: #403021;
  --color-900: #271E16;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FDF7F2',
    100: '#F8EADD',
    200: '#F0D5BD',
    300: '#E0B68F',
    400: '#CD9765',
    500: '#B27943',
    600: '#88603A',
    700: '#61472E',
    800: '#403021',
    900: '#271E16',
  },
}

$base: #281809;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FDF7F2;
$base-100: #F8EADD;
$base-200: #F0D5BD;
$base-300: #E0B68F;
$base-400: #CD9765;
$base-500: #B27943;
$base-600: #88603A;
$base-700: #61472E;
$base-800: #403021;
$base-900: #271E16;
$base-hover: #211408;
$base-subtle: #DBB999;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281809",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FDF7F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F8EADD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F0D5BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#E0B68F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#CD9765",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#B27943",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#88603A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#61472E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#403021",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#271E16",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}