What color is #281F37?

#281F37 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 #281F37?

The RGB value is 40, 31, 55: 40 red, 31 green and 55 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.

What is the complementary color of #281F37?

The complementary color is #2E371F, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.

Is black or white text better on #281F37?

White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.34:1 and white text 15.66:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

#281F37 color

#281F37 rgb(40, 31, 55)

Shades of purple

The hex color #281F37 is a very dark, desaturated violet.

In the RGB color model it is made of 15.7% red, 12.2% green and 21.6% blue (40, 31, 55).

Its hue angle is 263°, with 28% saturation and 17% lightness. For print, the CMYK equivalent is 27% cyan, 44% magenta, 0% yellow and 78% black.

The closest named color is Midnight Velvet (#2A2243), a difference of 3.5 ΔE, a small difference.

White text is the more readable choice on this background (contrast 15.66:1).

#281F37 color codes

HEX	`#281F37`
RGB	`rgb(40, 31, 55)`
RGB percent	`rgb(15.7%, 12.2%, 21.6%)`
HSL	`hsl(263, 28%, 17%)`
HSV / HSB	`hsv(263, 44%, 22%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(27%, 44%, 0%, 78%)`
CIE LAB	`lab(13.87, 10.54, -14.06)`
CIE LCH	`lch(13.87, 17.58, 306.86)`
CIE XYZ	`xyz(2.054, 1.707, 3.835)`
Decimal	`2629431`
Short hex	`None (no 3-digit form)`

Color harmonies

Colors that go with #281F37, 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 #281F37	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	1.34:1	Fail	Fail	Fail
Sample text	15.66:1	Pass	Pass	Pass

#281F37 as text on	Ratio	AA	AAA	AA large
Sample text	15.66:1	Pass	Pass	Pass
Sample text	1.34:1	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 #281F37 looks to people with the most common types of color vision deficiency.

CSS examples

.background { background-color: #281f37; }
.text { color: #281f37; }
.border { border: 2px solid #281f37; }
.transparent { background-color: rgb(40 31 55 / 50%); }
.gradient { background: linear-gradient(to right, #281f37, #341f37); }

Background

Text color

Border

Similar colors

Questions

What color is #281F37?: #281F37 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 #281F37?: The RGB value is 40, 31, 55: 40 red, 31 green and 55 blue on a 0 to 255 scale.
What is the complementary color of #281F37?: The complementary color is #2E371F, found by rotating the hue 180° on the color wheel.
Is black or white text better on #281F37?: White text. Black text has a contrast ratio of 1.34:1 and white text 15.66:1. WCAG asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal text.