What color is #281E23?

#281E23 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(40, 30, 35), and in HSL hsl(330, 14%, 14%).

Is #281E23 accessible as text?

On white, #281E23 has a contrast ratio of 16.15:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.30:1 (fails). For text placed on #281E23, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281E23?

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

What colors go well with #281E23?

As a neutral, #281E23 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 #281E23 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281E23 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.

#281E23 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281E23

Not just a swatch — here's how #281E23 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281E23 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #281E23 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5D6573 Accent #463C41

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 #281E23 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 #281E23 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 #281E23 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #281E23 Secondary #474345 Support #9C9087 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 #281E23 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 52/100

Neutral

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

Softness 28/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 70/100

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 30/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 70/100

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 14/100

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 #281E23

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281E23 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 16.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D8CFD3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #291F20 — 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 #281E23 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: #281E23;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 30 35;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.9% 0.018 346.9);
  --color-50: #F9F6F7;
  --color-100: #EEE8EB;
  --color-200: #DCD1D6;
  --color-300: #C1AFB8;
  --color-400: #A58D99;
  --color-500: #876E7A;
  --color-600: #6A5861;
  --color-700: #4D4247;
  --color-800: #342D30;
  --color-900: #201D1F;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F9F6F7',
    100: '#EEE8EB',
    200: '#DCD1D6',
    300: '#C1AFB8',
    400: '#A58D99',
    500: '#876E7A',
    600: '#6A5861',
    700: '#4D4247',
    800: '#342D30',
    900: '#201D1F',
  },
}

$base: #281E23;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F6F7;
$base-100: #EEE8EB;
$base-200: #DCD1D6;
$base-300: #C1AFB8;
$base-400: #A58D99;
$base-500: #876E7A;
$base-600: #6A5861;
$base-700: #4D4247;
$base-800: #342D30;
$base-900: #201D1F;
$base-hover: #21191D;
$base-subtle: #C4B6BD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281E23",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EEE8EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DCD1D6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C1AFB8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A58D99",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#876E7A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6A5861",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4D4247",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#342D30",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201D1F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281E23

Color Lab

Pairs with #281E23

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export