What color is #281720?

#281720 is a very dark, desaturated rose, closest to the named color Black Cherry. It belongs to the black family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #281720?

The RGB value is 40, 23, 32: 40 red, 23 green and 32 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281720?

The complementary color is #17281F, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281720?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.23:1 and white text 17.02:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281720 color

#281720 rgb(40, 23, 32)

Shades of black

The hex color #281720 is a very dark, desaturated rose.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 9% green and 12.5% blue (40, 23, 32).

Its hue angle is 328°, with 27% saturation and 12% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 42% magenta, 20% yellow and 84% black.

The closest named color is Black Cherry (#2C1620), a difference of 2.2 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 17.02:1).

#281720 color codes

HEX	`#281720`
RGB	`rgb(40, 23, 32)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 9%, 12.5%)`
HSL	`hsl(328, 27%, 12%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(328, 43%, 16%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 42%, 20%, 84%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(10.32, 10.33, -2.73)`
CIE LCH	`lch(10.32, 10.69, 345.19)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(1.442, 1.168, 1.516)`
Decimal	`2627360`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281720, 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 #281720	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.23:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	17.02:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281720 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	17.02:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.23:1	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 #281720 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281720; }
.text { color: #281720; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281720; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 23 32 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281720, #281718); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Licorice.

Questions

What color is #281720?: #281720 is a very dark, desaturated rose, closest to the named color Black Cherry. It belongs to the black family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #281720?: The RGB value is 40, 23, 32: 40 red, 23 green and 32 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281720?: The complementary color is #17281F, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281720?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.23:1 and white text 17.02:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.