What color is #09171B?

#09171B is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(9, 23, 27), and in HSL hsl(193, 50%, 7%).

Is #09171B accessible as text?

On white, #09171B has a contrast ratio of 18.26:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.15:1 (fails). For text placed on #09171B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #09171B?

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

What colors go well with #09171B?

As a neutral, #09171B 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 #09171B the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #09171B 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.

#09171B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #09171B

Not just a swatch — here's how #09171B works with other colors. Named schemes with #09171B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #09171B Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #09171B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #273438

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.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #09171B Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7B94A5 Anchor #2E3236

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #09171B Secondary #705116 Surface #E3DCC0 Accent #395244 Anchor #56233E

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 #09171B Secondary #323739 Support #969386 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.

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Color Lab

How #09171B 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 1/100

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 8/100

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 66/100

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 #09171B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #09171B 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 18.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #BED9E1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #09111B — 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 #09171B at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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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: #09171B;
  --color-base-rgb: 9 23 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(19.4% 0.021 218.2);
  --color-50: #F3FAFC;
  --color-100: #E0F1F5;
  --color-200: #C2E2EB;
  --color-300: #97CAD8;
  --color-400: #70B0C2;
  --color-500: #4E93A6;
  --color-600: #427380;
  --color-700: #33535C;
  --color-800: #24373C;
  --color-900: #182225;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F3FAFC',
    100: '#E0F1F5',
    200: '#C2E2EB',
    300: '#97CAD8',
    400: '#70B0C2',
    500: '#4E93A6',
    600: '#427380',
    700: '#33535C',
    800: '#24373C',
    900: '#182225',
  },
}

$base: #09171B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F3FAFC;
$base-100: #E0F1F5;
$base-200: #C2E2EB;
$base-300: #97CAD8;
$base-400: #70B0C2;
$base-500: #4E93A6;
$base-600: #427380;
$base-700: #33535C;
$base-800: #24373C;
$base-900: #182225;
$base-hover: #071215;
$base-subtle: #9DC7D3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#09171B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3FAFC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E0F1F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C2E2EB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#97CAD8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#70B0C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4E93A6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#427380",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#33535C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#24373C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#182225",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #09171B

Color Lab

Pairs with #09171B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export