What color is #281817?

#281817 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 #281817?

The RGB value is 40, 24, 23: 40 red, 24 green and 23 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281817?

The complementary color is #172728, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281817?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.23:1 and white text 17.03:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281817 color

#281817 rgb(40, 24, 23)

Shades of black

The hex color #281817 is a very dark, desaturated red.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 9.4% green and 9% blue (40, 24, 23).

Its hue angle is 4°, with 27% saturation and 12% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 40% magenta, 42% yellow and 84% black.

The closest named color is Italian Roast (#221111), a difference of 2.3 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 17.03:1).

#281817 color codes

HEX	`#281817`
RGB	`rgb(40, 24, 23)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 9.4%, 9%)`
HSL	`hsl(4, 27%, 12%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(4, 43%, 16%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 40%, 42%, 84%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(10.31, 7.89, 3.98)`
CIE LCH	`lch(10.31, 8.84, 26.77)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(1.356, 1.166, 0.964)`
Decimal	`2627607`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281817, 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 #281817	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.23:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	17.03:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281817 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	17.03:1	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 #281817 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281817; }
.text { color: #281817; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281817; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 24 23 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281817, #282117); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #281817?: #281817 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 #281817?: The RGB value is 40, 24, 23: 40 red, 24 green and 23 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281817?: The complementary color is #172728, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281817?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.23:1 and white text 17.03:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.