What color is #281821?

#281821 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 #281821?

The RGB value is 40, 24, 33: 40 red, 24 green and 33 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281821?

The complementary color is #18281F, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281821?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.24:1 and white text 16.9:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281821 color

#281821 rgb(40, 24, 33)

Shades of black

The hex color #281821 is a very dark, desaturated rose.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 9.4% green and 12.9% blue (40, 24, 33).

Its hue angle is 326°, with 25% saturation and 13% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 40% magenta, 18% yellow and 84% black.

The closest named color is Black Cherry (#2C1620), a difference of 2.7 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 16.9:1).

#281821 color codes

HEX	`#281821`
RGB	`rgb(40, 24, 33)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 9.4%, 12.9%)`
HSL	`hsl(326, 25%, 13%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(326, 40%, 16%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 40%, 18%, 84%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(10.66, 9.83, -2.97)`
CIE LCH	`lch(10.66, 10.27, 343.19)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(1.476, 1.214, 1.595)`
Decimal	`2627617`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281821, 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 #281821	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.24:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	16.9:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281821 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	16.9:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.24:1	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 #281821 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281821; }
.text { color: #281821; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281821; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 24 33 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281821, #281819); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Closest common color name: Licorice.

Questions

What color is #281821?: #281821 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 #281821?: The RGB value is 40, 24, 33: 40 red, 24 green and 33 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281821?: The complementary color is #18281F, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281821?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.24:1 and white text 16.9:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.