#121415 is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads clean and engineered, quietly premium. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #121415 works with other colors. Named schemes with #121415 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
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.
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.
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.
Graphite opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.
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.
How #121415 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.
Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #121415 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #121415;
--color-base-rgb: 18 20 21;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(18.9% 0.004 229.0);
--color-50: #F7F8F8;
--color-100: #E9EBEC;
--color-200: #D3D7D9;
--color-300: #B2B9BD;
--color-400: #929BA0;
--color-500: #737D81;
--color-600: #5C6366;
--color-700: #44484B;
--color-800: #2F3132;
--color-900: #1D1F20;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
graphite: {
50: '#F7F8F8',
100: '#E9EBEC',
200: '#D3D7D9',
300: '#B2B9BD',
400: '#929BA0',
500: '#737D81',
600: '#5C6366',
700: '#44484B',
800: '#2F3132',
900: '#1D1F20',
},
}
$base: #121415; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F7F8F8; $base-100: #E9EBEC; $base-200: #D3D7D9; $base-300: #B2B9BD; $base-400: #929BA0; $base-500: #737D81; $base-600: #5C6366; $base-700: #44484B; $base-800: #2F3132; $base-900: #1D1F20; $base-hover: #0F1112; $base-subtle: #B4BABD;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#121415",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F7F8F8",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#E9EBEC",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#D3D7D9",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#B2B9BD",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#929BA0",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#737D81",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#5C6366",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#44484B",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#2F3132",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#1D1F20",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}