What color is #281E36?

#281E36 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 #281E36?

The RGB value is 40, 30, 54: 40 red, 30 green and 54 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281E36?

The complementary color is #2C361E, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281E36?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.33:1 and white text 15.8:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281E36 color

#281E36 rgb(40, 30, 54)

Shades of purple

The hex color #281E36 is a very dark, desaturated violet.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 11.8% green and 21.2% blue (40, 30, 54).

Its hue angle is 265°, with 29% saturation and 16% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 26% cyan, 44% magenta, 0% yellow and 79% black.

The closest named color is Midnight Velvet (#2A2243), a difference of 3.7 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 15.8:1).

#281E36 color codes

HEX	`#281E36`
RGB	`rgb(40, 30, 54)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 11.8%, 21.2%)`
HSL	`hsl(265, 29%, 16%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(265, 44%, 21%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(26%, 44%, 0%, 79%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(13.51, 10.97, -13.91)`
CIE LCH	`lch(13.51, 17.72, 308.25)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(2.005, 1.646, 3.701)`
Decimal	`2629174`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281E36, 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 #281E36	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.33:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	15.8:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281E36 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	15.8:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.33:1	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 #281E36 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281e36; }
.text { color: #281e36; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281e36; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 30 54 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281e36, #341e36); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #281E36?: #281E36 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 #281E36?: The RGB value is 40, 30, 54: 40 red, 30 green and 54 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281E36?: The complementary color is #2C361E, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281E36?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.33:1 and white text 15.8:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.