What color is #08181B?

#08181B is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(8, 24, 27), and in HSL hsl(189, 54%, 7%).

Is #08181B accessible as text?

On white, #08181B has a contrast ratio of 18.15:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.16:1 (fails). For text placed on #08181B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #08181B?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-900 (#171717).

What colors go well with #08181B?

As a neutral, #08181B pairs cleanly with white, off-white and light grays for text, and sits under accent hues like blue, violet, emerald or warm orange — use it as a dark surface or high-contrast base and let the accent carry the color.

Is #08181B the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #08181B is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#08181B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #08181B

Not just a swatch — here's how #08181B works with other colors. Named schemes with #08181B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #08181B Accent #A6C4BE Surface #DFDABE Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E3549

Graphite opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #08181B Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7A94A5 Anchor #2E3236

Graphite keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #08181B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #263538

Graphite is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Graphite.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #08181B Secondary #705117 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #395143 Anchor #56233F

Graphite plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #08181B Secondary #333839 Support #979286 Ink #16140F

Graphite is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Graphite carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #08181B actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 44/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 22/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 75/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 2/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 18/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 75/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 8/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 65/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #08181B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #08181B with

Bottle Green Jet Black Platinum Dark Slate Gray

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 18.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #BDDCE2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #08121B — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #08181B at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #08181B;
  --color-base-rgb: 8 24 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(19.6% 0.023 211.0);
  --color-50: #F3FBFC;
  --color-100: #DFF3F6;
  --color-200: #C0E6EC;
  --color-300: #95D0DA;
  --color-400: #6CB8C6;
  --color-500: #4B9CAA;
  --color-600: #3F7883;
  --color-700: #32575D;
  --color-800: #233A3D;
  --color-900: #172426;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F3FBFC',
    100: '#DFF3F6',
    200: '#C0E6EC',
    300: '#95D0DA',
    400: '#6CB8C6',
    500: '#4B9CAA',
    600: '#3F7883',
    700: '#32575D',
    800: '#233A3D',
    900: '#172426',
  },
}

$base: #08181B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F3FBFC;
$base-100: #DFF3F6;
$base-200: #C0E6EC;
$base-300: #95D0DA;
$base-400: #6CB8C6;
$base-500: #4B9CAA;
$base-600: #3F7883;
$base-700: #32575D;
$base-800: #233A3D;
$base-900: #172426;
$base-hover: #071416;
$base-subtle: #9BCCD5;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#08181B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3FBFC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFF3F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C0E6EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#95D0DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6CB8C6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4B9CAA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3F7883",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#32575D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#233A3D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#172426",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #08181B

Color Lab

Pairs with #08181B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export