What color is #281E15?

#281E15 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(40, 30, 21), and in HSL hsl(28, 31%, 12%).

Is #281E15 accessible as text?

On white, #281E15 has a contrast ratio of 16.32:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.29:1 (fails). For text placed on #281E15, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281E15?

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

What colors go well with #281E15?

As a neutral, #281E15 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 #281E15 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #281E15 is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) 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.

#281E15 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281E15

Not just a swatch — here's how #281E15 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281E15 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281E15 Secondary #7A4A23 Surface #E9DAC0 Accent #41503C Anchor #5B222A

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 #281E15 Secondary #B4651B Accent #737945 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 #281E15 Surface #EFE9DC 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 #281E15 Anchor #141210 Accent #CCA04C Secondary #30271F 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 #281E15 Secondary #47433F 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 #281E15 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 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 33/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 35/100

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 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 #281E15

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281E15 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 16.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DCD1C8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #282415 — 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 #281E15 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: #281E15;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 30 21;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.4% 0.023 63.5);
  --color-50: #FAF7F5;
  --color-100: #F1EAE4;
  --color-200: #E3D5CA;
  --color-300: #CCB6A4;
  --color-400: #B3977F;
  --color-500: #96795F;
  --color-600: #74604E;
  --color-700: #54473B;
  --color-800: #383029;
  --color-900: #231E1A;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FAF7F5',
    100: '#F1EAE4',
    200: '#E3D5CA',
    300: '#CCB6A4',
    400: '#B3977F',
    500: '#96795F',
    600: '#74604E',
    700: '#54473B',
    800: '#383029',
    900: '#231E1A',
  },
}

$base: #281E15;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FAF7F5;
$base-100: #F1EAE4;
$base-200: #E3D5CA;
$base-300: #CCB6A4;
$base-400: #B3977F;
$base-500: #96795F;
$base-600: #74604E;
$base-700: #54473B;
$base-800: #383029;
$base-900: #231E1A;
$base-hover: #201811;
$base-subtle: #CCBBAC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281E15",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FAF7F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F1EAE4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E3D5CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#CCB6A4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#B3977F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#96795F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#74604E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#54473B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#383029",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#231E1A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281E15

Color Lab

Pairs with #281E15

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export