What color is #281F09?

#281F09 is a very dark amber. In RGB it is rgb(40, 31, 9), and in HSL hsl(43, 63%, 10%).

Is #281F09 accessible as text?

On white, #281F09 has a contrast ratio of 16.28:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.29:1 (fails). For text placed on #281F09, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281F09?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is olive-900 (#1D1D16).

What colors go well with #281F09?

#281F09 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #09132A. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #281F09 below.

Is #281F09 good for buttons?

#281F09 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #281F09 — black text only reaches 1.29:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #281F09 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #281F09 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.

#281F09 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281F09

Not just a swatch — here's how #281F09 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281F09 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #281F09 Secondary #B36713 Accent #707A47 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3B2A1F

This palette keeps Graphite as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281F09 Secondary #784B21 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2228

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.

Desert Clay Center · 5 colors

Center #281F09 Surface #E0CFA8 Secondary #AE7B52 Accent #929970 Anchor #3D2C1F

Graphite holds the warm center of this desert palette with sand and clay beside it, a muted-sage accent and a dark-brown anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #281F09 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B9AF9F 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #281F09 Secondary #46433C 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #281F09 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 59/100

Neutral

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

Softness 26/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

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

Naturalness 53/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 38/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 15/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 16/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 58/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281F09

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281F09 with

Oxblood Sacramento Green Graphite Greige Army Green

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 #E6DABC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #282A09 — 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 #281F09 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: #281F09;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 31 9;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.4% 0.038 87.1);
  --color-50: #FDFAF2;
  --color-100: #F8F0DD;
  --color-200: #F0E1BD;
  --color-300: #E0C98F;
  --color-400: #CDB065;
  --color-500: #B29243;
  --color-600: #88723A;
  --color-700: #61522E;
  --color-800: #403721;
  --color-900: #272216;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FDFAF2',
    100: '#F8F0DD',
    200: '#F0E1BD',
    300: '#E0C98F',
    400: '#CDB065',
    500: '#B29243',
    600: '#88723A',
    700: '#61522E',
    800: '#403721',
    900: '#272216',
  },
}

$base: #281F09;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FDFAF2;
$base-100: #F8F0DD;
$base-200: #F0E1BD;
$base-300: #E0C98F;
$base-400: #CDB065;
$base-500: #B29243;
$base-600: #88723A;
$base-700: #61522E;
$base-800: #403721;
$base-900: #272216;
$base-hover: #211A08;
$base-subtle: #DBC899;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281F09",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FDFAF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F8F0DD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#F0E1BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#E0C98F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#CDB065",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#B29243",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#88723A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#61522E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#403721",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#272216",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}