What color is #281B05?

#281B05 is a very dark, vivid orange. In RGB it is rgb(40, 27, 5), and in HSL hsl(38, 78%, 9%).

Is #281B05 accessible as text?

On white, #281B05 has a contrast ratio of 16.81:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.25:1 (fails). For text placed on #281B05, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281B05?

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

What colors go well with #281B05?

#281B05 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #051229. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #281B05 below.

Is #281B05 good for buttons?

#281B05 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #281B05 — black text only reaches 1.25:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #281B05 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #281B05 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.

#281B05 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281B05

Not just a swatch — here's how #281B05 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281B05 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #281B05 Secondary #B36716 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 #281B05 Secondary #794B22 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #40503C Anchor #5B2229

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 #281B05 Surface #E0CFA8 Secondary #AF7B53 Accent #93996F 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 #281B05 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 #281B05 Secondary #454038 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 #281B05 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 25/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

High

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

Naturalness 58/100

Moderate

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

Vintage feel 38/100

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 16/100

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 57/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281B05

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281B05 with

Oxblood Sacramento Green Graphite 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 #EBD8B7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #292805 — 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 #281B05 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: #281B05;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 27 5;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.3% 0.041 78.3);
  --color-50: #FEF9F1;
  --color-100: #FBEFDA;
  --color-200: #F6DFB6;
  --color-300: #EAC585;
  --color-400: #DAAA58;
  --color-500: #BF8D36;
  --color-600: #916E30;
  --color-700: #675028;
  --color-800: #43351E;
  --color-900: #292114;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FEF9F1',
    100: '#FBEFDA',
    200: '#F6DFB6',
    300: '#EAC585',
    400: '#DAAA58',
    500: '#BF8D36',
    600: '#916E30',
    700: '#675028',
    800: '#43351E',
    900: '#292114',
  },
}

$base: #281B05;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FEF9F1;
$base-100: #FBEFDA;
$base-200: #F6DFB6;
$base-300: #EAC585;
$base-400: #DAAA58;
$base-500: #BF8D36;
$base-600: #916E30;
$base-700: #675028;
$base-800: #43351E;
$base-900: #292114;
$base-hover: #211604;
$base-subtle: #E3C490;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281B05",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FEF9F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#FBEFDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F6DFB6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#EAC585",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#DAAA58",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#BF8D36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#916E30",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#675028",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#43351E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#292114",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}