What color is #281B16?

#281B16 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(40, 27, 22), and in HSL hsl(17, 29%, 12%).

Is #281B16 accessible as text?

On white, #281B16 has a contrast ratio of 16.69:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.26:1 (fails). For text placed on #281B16, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281B16?

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

What colors go well with #281B16?

As a neutral, #281B16 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 #281B16 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281B16 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.

#281B16 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281B16

Not just a swatch — here's how #281B16 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281B16 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281B16 Secondary #7B4926 Surface #E9D9C0 Accent #42503B Anchor #5B222D

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 #281B16 Secondary #B66421 Accent #767843 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 #281B16 Surface #F0E9DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BAAE9F 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 #281B16 Anchor #141210 Accent #CF9F4D Secondary #322621 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 #281B16 Secondary #45403E Support #9B9186 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 #281B16 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 57/100

Neutral

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

Softness 26/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

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

Naturalness 39/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

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 63/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281B16

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281B16 with

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 16.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DBCEC9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #272116 — 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 #281B16 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: #281B16;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 27 22;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.7% 0.023 42.0);
  --color-50: #FAF6F5;
  --color-100: #F1E8E4;
  --color-200: #E2D1CA;
  --color-300: #CAAFA5;
  --color-400: #B18F81;
  --color-500: #946F61;
  --color-600: #73594F;
  --color-700: #53423C;
  --color-800: #372D29;
  --color-900: #231D1B;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FAF6F5',
    100: '#F1E8E4',
    200: '#E2D1CA',
    300: '#CAAFA5',
    400: '#B18F81',
    500: '#946F61',
    600: '#73594F',
    700: '#53423C',
    800: '#372D29',
    900: '#231D1B',
  },
}

$base: #281B16;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FAF6F5;
$base-100: #F1E8E4;
$base-200: #E2D1CA;
$base-300: #CAAFA5;
$base-400: #B18F81;
$base-500: #946F61;
$base-600: #73594F;
$base-700: #53423C;
$base-800: #372D29;
$base-900: #231D1B;
$base-hover: #201511;
$base-subtle: #CBB5AD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281B16",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FAF6F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F1E8E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E2D1CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#CAAFA5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#B18F81",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#946F61",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#73594F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#53423C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#372D29",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#231D1B",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281B16

Color Lab

Pairs with #281B16

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export