What color is #281B02?

#281B02 is a very dark, vivid orange. In RGB it is rgb(40, 27, 2), and in HSL hsl(39, 90%, 8%).

Is #281B02 accessible as text?

On white, #281B02 has a contrast ratio of 16.83:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.25:1 (fails). For text placed on #281B02, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281B02?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is olive-900 (#1D1D16).

What colors go well with #281B02?

#281B02 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #020F27. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #281B02 below.

Is #281B02 good for buttons?

#281B02 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #281B02 — black text only reaches 1.25:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #281B02 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #281B02 is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) 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.

#281B02 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281B02

Not just a swatch — here's how #281B02 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281B02 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #281B02 Secondary #B36715 Accent #717946 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3B2A1F

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 #281B02 Secondary #794B21 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #40503D Anchor #5B2228

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 #281B02 Surface #E0CFA8 Secondary #AF7B53 Accent #929970 Anchor #3E2C1F

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 #281B02 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B9AF9F 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 #281B02 Secondary #454037 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 #281B02 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 73/100

High

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

Naturalness 63/100

High

Organic, earthy character — at home in wellness, food and craft brands.

Vintage feel 39/100

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 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 15/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281B02

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281B02 with

Oxblood Sacramento Green Jet Black Greige Army Green

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 16.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #EED9B2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #272602 — 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 #281B02 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: #281B02;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 27 2;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.3% 0.045 81.7);
  --color-50: #FEF9F0;
  --color-100: #FDF0D8;
  --color-200: #FBE1B2;
  --color-300: #F2C97E;
  --color-400: #E3AF4F;
  --color-500: #CA922B;
  --color-600: #997229;
  --color-700: #6C5223;
  --color-800: #46371B;
  --color-900: #2B2212;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FEF9F0',
    100: '#FDF0D8',
    200: '#FBE1B2',
    300: '#F2C97E',
    400: '#E3AF4F',
    500: '#CA922B',
    600: '#997229',
    700: '#6C5223',
    800: '#46371B',
    900: '#2B2212',
  },
}

$base: #281B02;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF9F0;
$base-100: #FDF0D8;
$base-200: #FBE1B2;
$base-300: #F2C97E;
$base-400: #E3AF4F;
$base-500: #CA922B;
$base-600: #997229;
$base-700: #6C5223;
$base-800: #46371B;
$base-900: #2B2212;
$base-hover: #1F1502;
$base-subtle: #E9C788;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281B02",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF9F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FDF0D8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#FBE1B2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#F2C97E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#E3AF4F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#CA922B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#997229",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#6C5223",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#46371B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#2B2212",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281B02

Color Lab

Pairs with #281B02

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export