What color is #281B22?

#281B22 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(40, 27, 34), and in HSL hsl(328, 19%, 13%).

Is #281B22 accessible as text?

On white, #281B22 has a contrast ratio of 16.53:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.27:1 (fails). For text placed on #281B22, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281B22?

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

What colors go well with #281B22?

As a neutral, #281B22 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 #281B22 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281B22 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.

#281B22 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281B22

Not just a swatch — here's how #281B22 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281B22 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281B22 Secondary #7D472C Surface #EBD8C1 Accent #454F38 Anchor #5A2232

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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #281B22 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BCAEA0 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 #281B22 Anchor #141210 Accent #D59B51 Secondary #30252B Surface #F3EDE3

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 #281B22 Secondary #464144 Support #9C9087 Ink #18140F

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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281B22 Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5E203B Accent #E6C2C4 Secondary #332B2E

Graphite sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

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Color Lab

How #281B22 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 53/100

Neutral

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

Softness 26/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 71/100

High

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

Naturalness 4/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

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 14/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 62/100

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 #281B22

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281B22 with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Gainsboro 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 16.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9CDD3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #271B1D — 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 #281B22 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #281B22;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 27 34;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.1% 0.024 345.5);
  --color-50: #F9F6F7;
  --color-100: #EFE7EB;
  --color-200: #DECED7;
  --color-300: #C4ABB8;
  --color-400: #A9899A;
  --color-500: #8B6A7C;
  --color-600: #6D5562;
  --color-700: #4F4048;
  --color-800: #352C31;
  --color-900: #211C1F;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F9F6F7',
    100: '#EFE7EB',
    200: '#DECED7',
    300: '#C4ABB8',
    400: '#A9899A',
    500: '#8B6A7C',
    600: '#6D5562',
    700: '#4F4048',
    800: '#352C31',
    900: '#211C1F',
  },
}

$base: #281B22;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F6F7;
$base-100: #EFE7EB;
$base-200: #DECED7;
$base-300: #C4ABB8;
$base-400: #A9899A;
$base-500: #8B6A7C;
$base-600: #6D5562;
$base-700: #4F4048;
$base-800: #352C31;
$base-900: #211C1F;
$base-hover: #20151B;
$base-subtle: #C6B3BD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281B22",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EFE7EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DECED7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C4ABB8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A9899A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#8B6A7C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6D5562",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4F4048",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#352C31",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211C1F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281B22

Color Lab

Pairs with #281B22

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export