What color is #281C17?

#281C17 is a very dark, desaturated orange, closest to the named color Dark Orchestra. It belongs to the black family of colors.

What is the RGB value of #281C17?

The RGB value is 40, 28, 23: 40 red, 28 green and 23 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281C17?

The complementary color is #172328, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281C17?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.27:1 and white text 16.55:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281C17 color

#281C17 rgb(40, 28, 23)

Shades of black

The hex color #281C17 is a very dark, desaturated orange.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 11% green and 9% blue (40, 28, 23).

Its hue angle is 18°, with 27% saturation and 12% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 0% cyan, 30% magenta, 42% yellow and 84% black.

The closest named color is Dark Orchestra (#251B19), a difference of 2.1 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 16.55:1).

#281C17 color codes

HEX	`#281C17`
RGB	`rgb(40, 28, 23)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 11%, 9%)`
HSL	`hsl(18, 27%, 12%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(18, 43%, 16%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(0%, 30%, 42%, 84%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(11.58, 5, 5.75)`
CIE LCH	`lch(11.58, 7.62, 49)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(1.445, 1.344, 0.994)`
Decimal	`2628631`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281C17, 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 #281C17	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.27:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	16.55:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281C17 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	16.55:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.27:1	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 #281C17 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281c17; }
.text { color: #281c17; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281c17; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 28 23 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281c17, #282517); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #281C17?: #281C17 is a very dark, desaturated orange, closest to the named color Dark Orchestra. It belongs to the black family of colors.
What is the RGB value of #281C17?: The RGB value is 40, 28, 23: 40 red, 28 green and 23 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281C17?: The complementary color is #172328, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281C17?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.27:1 and white text 16.55:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.