What color is #281D16?

#281D16 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(40, 29, 22), and in HSL hsl(23, 29%, 12%).

Is #281D16 accessible as text?

On white, #281D16 has a contrast ratio of 16.44:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.28:1 (fails). For text placed on #281D16, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281D16?

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

What colors go well with #281D16?

As a neutral, #281D16 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 #281D16 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281D16 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.

#281D16 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281D16

Not just a swatch — here's how #281D16 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281D16 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281D16 Secondary #7A4A24 Surface #E9DAC0 Accent #41503B Anchor #5B222B

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 #281D16 Secondary #B5651E Accent #747844 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 #281D16 Surface #F0E9DC 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 #281D16 Anchor #141210 Accent #CDA04C Secondary #312620 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 #281D16 Secondary #46423F 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 #281D16 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 56/100

Neutral

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

Softness 27/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 71/100

High

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

Naturalness 36/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 71/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 8/100

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 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281D16

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281D16 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 16.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DBD0C9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #272216 — 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 #281D16 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: #281D16;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 29 22;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.2% 0.022 53.9);
  --color-50: #FAF7F5;
  --color-100: #F1E9E4;
  --color-200: #E2D3CA;
  --color-300: #CAB3A5;
  --color-400: #B19381;
  --color-500: #947461;
  --color-600: #735D4F;
  --color-700: #53453C;
  --color-800: #372F29;
  --color-900: #231E1B;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FAF7F5',
    100: '#F1E9E4',
    200: '#E2D3CA',
    300: '#CAB3A5',
    400: '#B19381',
    500: '#947461',
    600: '#735D4F',
    700: '#53453C',
    800: '#372F29',
    900: '#231E1B',
  },
}

$base: #281D16;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FAF7F5;
$base-100: #F1E9E4;
$base-200: #E2D3CA;
$base-300: #CAB3A5;
$base-400: #B19381;
$base-500: #947461;
$base-600: #735D4F;
$base-700: #53453C;
$base-800: #372F29;
$base-900: #231E1B;
$base-hover: #201711;
$base-subtle: #CBB8AD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281D16",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FAF7F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F1E9E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E2D3CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#CAB3A5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#B19381",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#947461",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#735D4F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#53453C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#372F29",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#231E1B",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281D16

Color Lab

Pairs with #281D16

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export