Color #261C1F Color / Colour Code #261C1F
This page shows the hex color code for color #261c1f (#261C1F). The colour is a pink tone with 15% saturation and 13% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #261C1F against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#261C1F paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 312, 342, and 12 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 342, 102, and 222 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #261C1F
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 342 and saturation at 15%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 342 to 27 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 342 with its complement at 162 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 #261C1F
Lightness variations at hue 342 and 15% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #261C1F
Design Use Cases for #261C1F
Muted Accent Color
With 15% saturation, #261C1F has a subtle, sophisticated quality. This level of desaturation works well for secondary buttons, inactive states, subtle borders, and backgrounds that need a hint of color without being distracting. Muted colors communicate restraint and professionalism.
Dark Mode Background
At just 13% lightness, #261C1F 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.
Playfulness & Compassion
#261C1F is in the pink range (hue 342). Pink ranges from energetic to gentle depending on saturation and lightness. Use it for beauty and cosmetics branding, social app interfaces, Valentine's themes, and youth-oriented design. Desaturated pinks work well as soft background tints.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #261C1F (hue 342) to its complement at hue 162. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 12. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #261c1f, #1c2623);
CSS Code for #261C1F
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #261C1F based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #261C1F across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #261C1F (#261C1F)
#261C1F is a pink color (colour) with RGB channel values of 38 red, 28 green, and 31 blue. The red channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 342 degrees with 15% saturation and 13% lightness, placing it in the warm range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #261C1F is 31/255 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 0% cyan, 26% magenta, 18% yellow, and 85% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #261C1F against white is 16.56:1 and against black is 1.27:1. 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 #1C2623 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #261C1F. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #261C24 and #261E1C, 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 #261C1F
- 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 #261C1F?
- #261C1F is Color #261C1F, a pink color (colour) with RGB(38, 28, 31), HSL(342, 15%, 13%), and CMYK(0%, 26%, 18%, 85%). Its perceived brightness is 31/255.
- Is #261C1F accessible for text?
- Against white, #261C1F has a contrast ratio of 16.56:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.27:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #261C1F?
- The complementary colour is #1C2623 (hue 162). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #261C24 and #261E1C. The triadic palette adds #1F261C and #1C1F26 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #261C1F in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #261c1f; or rgb(38, 28, 31); or hsl(342, 15%, 13%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 342 15% 13%; 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.