What color is #281D47?

#281D47 is a dark indigo. In RGB it is rgb(40, 29, 71), and in HSL hsl(256, 42%, 20%).

Is #281D47 accessible as text?

On white, #281D47 has a contrast ratio of 15.48:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.36:1 (fails). For text placed on #281D47, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281D47?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-950 (#1E1A4D).

What colors go well with #281D47?

#281D47 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #3D481E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #281D47 below.

Is #281D47 good for buttons?

#281D47 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #281D47 — black text only reaches 1.36:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #281D47 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281D47 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.

#281D47 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281D47

Not just a swatch — here's how #281D47 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281D47 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281D47 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #E9D6BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

Russian Violet opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #281D47 Secondary #AFB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7F92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Russian Violet keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281D47 Secondary #7E4632 Surface #EDD8C2 Accent #355248 Anchor #582237

Russian Violet plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #281D47 Anchor #141210 Accent #DA9856 Secondary #292732 Surface #F3ECE3

Russian Violet 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 #F8F4EF Accent #281D47 Secondary #4A4757 Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Russian Violet 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 Russian Violet carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #281D47 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 40/100

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 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

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 29/100

Low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 26/100

Low

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

Surface fit 45/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 90/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281D47

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281D47 with

Yale Blue Russian Violet Army Green Gainsboro

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 15.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D0CAE3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #371E48 — 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 #281D47 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: #281D47;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 29 71;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(26.8% 0.076 292.7);
  --color-50: #F6F4FB;
  --color-100: #E6E2F4;
  --color-200: #CEC5E7;
  --color-300: #AB9CD3;
  --color-400: #8976BC;
  --color-500: #69559F;
  --color-600: #55477B;
  --color-700: #3F3658;
  --color-800: #2C263B;
  --color-900: #1C1924;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  russian-violet: {
    50: '#F6F4FB',
    100: '#E6E2F4',
    200: '#CEC5E7',
    300: '#AB9CD3',
    400: '#8976BC',
    500: '#69559F',
    600: '#55477B',
    700: '#3F3658',
    800: '#2C263B',
    900: '#1C1924',
  },
}

$base: #281D47;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F4FB;
$base-100: #E6E2F4;
$base-200: #CEC5E7;
$base-300: #AB9CD3;
$base-400: #8976BC;
$base-500: #69559F;
$base-600: #55477B;
$base-700: #3F3658;
$base-800: #2C263B;
$base-900: #1C1924;
$base-hover: #21183A;
$base-subtle: #B9AED5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281D47",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F4FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E2F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CEC5E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AB9CD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8976BC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#69559F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#55477B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F3658",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C263B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1924",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}