What color is #09231A?

#09231A is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(9, 35, 26), and in HSL hsl(159, 59%, 9%).

Is #09231A accessible as text?

On white, #09231A has a contrast ratio of 16.58:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.27:1 (fails). For text placed on #09231A, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #09231A?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-900 (#1C1917).

What colors go well with #09231A?

As a neutral, #09231A 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 #09231A the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #09231A 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.

#09231A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #09231A

Not just a swatch — here's how #09231A works with other colors. Named schemes with #09231A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #09231A Secondary #744F1A Surface #E5DBC0 Accent #3B5141 Anchor #5B231F

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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #09231A Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B5B09F Ink #2A2723

Graphite sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #09231A Anchor #141210 Accent #BDA84C Secondary #1F2C27 Surface #F1EDE3

Graphite carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #09231A Anchor #292A2E Secondary #6C6F74 Surface #EBE6DA Accent #000706

Graphite adds the colour to this moody editorial scheme — charcoal and a mid-grey around it, a bone highlight, and a muted jewel accent drawn from Graphite.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #09231A Secondary #3A433F Support #989286 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 #09231A 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 45/100

Neutral

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

Softness 25/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

High

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

Naturalness 30/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 27/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 14/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 59/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #09231A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #09231A with

British Racing Green Graphite 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 16.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #BDE4D7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #092424 — 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 #09231A 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: #09231A;
  --color-base-rgb: 9 35 26;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.3% 0.037 167.5);
  --color-50: #F2FCF9;
  --color-100: #DEF7EE;
  --color-200: #BEEEDD;
  --color-300: #92DEC3;
  --color-400: #68CAA8;
  --color-500: #46AE8A;
  --color-600: #3C866C;
  --color-700: #305F4F;
  --color-800: #223F35;
  --color-900: #172721;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F2FCF9',
    100: '#DEF7EE',
    200: '#BEEEDD',
    300: '#92DEC3',
    400: '#68CAA8',
    500: '#46AE8A',
    600: '#3C866C',
    700: '#305F4F',
    800: '#223F35',
    900: '#172721',
  },
}

$base: #09231A;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F2FCF9;
$base-100: #DEF7EE;
$base-200: #BEEEDD;
$base-300: #92DEC3;
$base-400: #68CAA8;
$base-500: #46AE8A;
$base-600: #3C866C;
$base-700: #305F4F;
$base-800: #223F35;
$base-900: #172721;
$base-hover: #081D16;
$base-subtle: #9AD9C3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#09231A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F2FCF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DEF7EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BEEEDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#92DEC3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#68CAA8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#46AE8A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3C866C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#305F4F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#223F35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#172721",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}