What color is #281D1F?

#281D1F is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(40, 29, 31), and in HSL hsl(349, 16%, 14%).

Is #281D1F accessible as text?

On white, #281D1F has a contrast ratio of 16.33:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.29:1 (fails). For text placed on #281D1F, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281D1F?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-800 (#292524).

What colors go well with #281D1F?

As a neutral, #281D1F 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 #281D1F the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281D1F 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.

#281D1F Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281D1F

Not just a swatch — here's how #281D1F works with other colors. Named schemes with #281D1F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #281D1F Surface #15161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5E6573 Accent #463B3D

Graphite is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Graphite.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281D1F Secondary #7C482A Surface #EBD9C1 Accent #444F39 Anchor #5A2230

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 #281D1F 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281D1F Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5E2039 Accent #E6C2C3 Secondary #332B2E

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #281D1F Secondary #474243 Support #9B9087 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 #281D1F 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 54/100

Neutral

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

Softness 27/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 70/100

High

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

Naturalness 13/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 31/100

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 7/100

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 64/100

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 #281D1F

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281D1F with

Onyx 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 16.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D8CED0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #29201E — 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 #281D1F at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #281D1F;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 29 31;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.5% 0.018 6.3);
  --color-50: #F9F6F7;
  --color-100: #EEE7E8;
  --color-200: #DDD0D2;
  --color-300: #C2ADB1;
  --color-400: #A68C91;
  --color-500: #886C71;
  --color-600: #6B575B;
  --color-700: #4E4143;
  --color-800: #342D2E;
  --color-900: #211C1D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F9F6F7',
    100: '#EEE7E8',
    200: '#DDD0D2',
    300: '#C2ADB1',
    400: '#A68C91',
    500: '#886C71',
    600: '#6B575B',
    700: '#4E4143',
    800: '#342D2E',
    900: '#211C1D',
  },
}

$base: #281D1F;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F6F7;
$base-100: #EEE7E8;
$base-200: #DDD0D2;
$base-300: #C2ADB1;
$base-400: #A68C91;
$base-500: #886C71;
$base-600: #6B575B;
$base-700: #4E4143;
$base-800: #342D2E;
$base-900: #211C1D;
$base-hover: #21181A;
$base-subtle: #C5B5B8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281D1F",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EEE7E8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DDD0D2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C2ADB1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A68C91",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#886C71",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6B575B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4E4143",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#342D2E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211C1D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281D1F

Color Lab

Pairs with #281D1F

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export