What color is #12181A?

#12181A is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(18, 24, 26), and in HSL hsl(195, 18%, 9%).

Is #12181A accessible as text?

On white, #12181A has a contrast ratio of 17.93:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.17:1 (fails). For text placed on #12181A, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #12181A?

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

What colors go well with #12181A?

As a neutral, #12181A 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 #12181A the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #12181A 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.

#12181A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #12181A

Not just a swatch — here's how #12181A works with other colors. Named schemes with #12181A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #12181A Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #596672 Accent #2F3537

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 #12181A Secondary #705116 Surface #E2DCC0 Accent #385244 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.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #12181A Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B3B19F 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #12181A Accent #A6C4BF Surface #DFDABF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #1E354A

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #12181A Secondary #37393A 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 #12181A 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 47/100

Neutral

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

Softness 23/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 74/100

High

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

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 17/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 4/100

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 69/100

High

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

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #12181A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #12181A with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Platinum Charcoal

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 17.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CBD4D7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #13161B — 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 #12181A 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: #12181A;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 24 26;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(20.4% 0.010 220.0);
  --color-50: #F6F8F9;
  --color-100: #E7EDEE;
  --color-200: #CFDADE;
  --color-300: #ACBDC3;
  --color-400: #8AA0A8;
  --color-500: #6B828A;
  --color-600: #56676C;
  --color-700: #404B4F;
  --color-800: #2C3335;
  --color-900: #1C2021;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F8F9',
    100: '#E7EDEE',
    200: '#CFDADE',
    300: '#ACBDC3',
    400: '#8AA0A8',
    500: '#6B828A',
    600: '#56676C',
    700: '#404B4F',
    800: '#2C3335',
    900: '#1C2021',
  },
}

$base: #12181A;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F8F9;
$base-100: #E7EDEE;
$base-200: #CFDADE;
$base-300: #ACBDC3;
$base-400: #8AA0A8;
$base-500: #6B828A;
$base-600: #56676C;
$base-700: #404B4F;
$base-800: #2C3335;
$base-900: #1C2021;
$base-hover: #0F1416;
$base-subtle: #B0BEC3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#12181A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F8F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7EDEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CFDADE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ACBDC3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8AA0A8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6B828A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#56676C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#404B4F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C3335",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C2021",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #12181A

Color Lab

Pairs with #12181A

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export