Color #181519 Color / Colour Code #181519
This page shows the hex color code for color #181519 (#181519). The colour is a purple tone with 9% saturation and 9% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #181519 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#181519 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 255, 285, and 315 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 285, 45, and 165 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #181519
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 285 and saturation at 9%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 285 to 330 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 285 with its complement at 105 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #181519
Lightness variations at hue 285 and 9% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #181519
Design Use Cases for #181519
Neutral Foundation Color
#181519 has almost no saturation (9%), making it an excellent neutral. Use it for page backgrounds, card surfaces, divider lines, and any element that should recede visually. Neutrals like this form the foundation of every professional design system.
Dark Mode Background
At just 9% lightness, #181519 works as a dark mode background or overlay color. Dark backgrounds reduce eye strain in low-light environments and make bright accent colors pop. Pair with light text (minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio) for readability.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#181519 falls in the purple spectrum (hue 285). Purple communicates creativity, wisdom, and luxury. It is effective for premium product highlights, creative portfolio accents, meditation app interfaces, and rewards program branding. Purple occupies a unique space between the energy of red and the calm of blue.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #181519 (hue 285) to its complement at hue 105. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 315. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #181519, #161915);
CSS Code for #181519
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #181519 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #181519 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #181519 (#181519)
#181519 is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 24 red, 21 green, and 25 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 285 degrees with 9% saturation and 9% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #181519 is 22/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 4% cyan, 16% magenta, 0% yellow, and 90% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #181519 against white is 18.10:1 and against black is 1.16:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #161915 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #181519. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #161519 and #191518, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #181519
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #181519?
- #181519 is Color #181519, a purple color (colour) with RGB(24, 21, 25), HSL(285, 9%, 9%), and CMYK(4%, 16%, 0%, 90%). Its perceived brightness is 22/255.
- Is #181519 accessible for text?
- Against white, #181519 has a contrast ratio of 18.10:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.16:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #181519?
- The complementary colour is #161915 (hue 105). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #161519 and #191518. The triadic palette adds #191815 and #151918 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #181519 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #181519; or rgb(24, 21, 25); or hsl(285, 9%, 9%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 285 9% 9%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.