What color is #281716?

#281716 is a very dark, desaturated red, closest to the named color Italian Roast. It belongs to the black family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #281716?

The RGB value is 40, 23, 22: 40 red, 23 green and 22 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281716?

The complementary color is #162728, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281716?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.22:1 and white text 17.15:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281716 color

#281716 rgb(40, 23, 22)

Shades of black

The hex color #281716 is a very dark, desaturated red.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 9% green and 8.6% blue (40, 23, 22).

Its hue angle is 3°, with 29% saturation and 12% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 42% magenta, 45% yellow and 84% black.

The closest named color is Italian Roast (#221111), a difference of 2 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 17.15:1).

#281716 color codes

HEX	`#281716`
RGB	`rgb(40, 23, 22)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 9%, 8.6%)`
HSL	`hsl(3, 29%, 12%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(3, 45%, 16%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 42%, 45%, 84%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(9.97, 8.44, 4.23)`
CIE LCH	`lch(9.97, 9.45, 26.63)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(1.326, 1.122, 0.906)`
Decimal	`2627350`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281716, based on their position on the color wheel.

Complementary

The color opposite on the color wheel (180°). Strongest contrast.

Analogous

Neighbors 30° either side. Calm, natural combinations.

Split complementary

The two colors next to the complement (150° and 210°).

Triadic

Three colors evenly spaced, 120° apart.

Tetradic (square)

Four colors 90° apart.

Shades, tints and tones

Shades (darker, mixed with black)

Tints (lighter, mixed with white)

Tones (mixed with gray)

Contrast and accessibility

Text on #281716	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.22:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	17.15:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281716 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	17.15:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.22:1	Fail	Fail	Fail

WCAG 2 asks for 4.5:1 for normal text (AA), 7:1 for AAA, and 3:1 for large text. Check other pairs.

Color blindness simulation

How #281716 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281716; }
.text { color: #281716; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281716; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 23 22 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281716, #282016); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #281716?: #281716 is a very dark, desaturated red, closest to the named color Italian Roast. It belongs to the black family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #281716?: The RGB value is 40, 23, 22: 40 red, 23 green and 22 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281716?: The complementary color is #162728, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281716?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.22:1 and white text 17.15:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.