What color is #281B39?

#281B39 is a very dark, desaturated violet, closest to the named color Midnight Velvet. It belongs to the purple family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #281B39?

The RGB value is 40, 27, 57: 40 red, 27 green and 57 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281B39?

The complementary color is #2C391B, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281B39?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.31:1 and white text 16.08:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281B39 color

#281B39 rgb(40, 27, 57)

Shades of purple

The hex color #281B39 is a very dark, desaturated violet.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 10.6% green and 22.4% blue (40, 27, 57).

Its hue angle is 266°, with 36% saturation and 16% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 30% cyan, 53% magenta, 0% yellow and 78% black.

The closest named color is Midnight Velvet (#2A2243), a difference of 2.9 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 16.08:1).

#281B39 color codes

HEX	`#281B39`
RGB	`rgb(40, 27, 57)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 10.6%, 22.4%)`
HSL	`hsl(266, 36%, 16%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(266, 53%, 22%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(30%, 53%, 0%, 78%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(12.8, 14.02, -17.16)`
CIE LCH	`lch(12.8, 22.16, 309.26)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(2.005, 1.53, 4.06)`
Decimal	`2628409`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281B39, 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 #281B39	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.31:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	16.08:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281B39 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	16.08:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.31:1	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 #281B39 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281b39; }
.text { color: #281b39; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281b39; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 27 57 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281b39, #371b39); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #281B39?: #281B39 is a very dark, desaturated violet, closest to the named color Midnight Velvet. It belongs to the purple family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #281B39?: The RGB value is 40, 27, 57: 40 red, 27 green and 57 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281B39?: The complementary color is #2C391B, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281B39?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.31:1 and white text 16.08:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.