What color is #121921?

#121921 is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(18, 25, 33), and in HSL hsl(212, 29%, 10%).

Is #121921 accessible as text?

On white, #121921 has a contrast ratio of 17.70:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.19:1 (fails). For text placed on #121921, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #121921?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-900 (#18181B).

What colors go well with #121921?

As a neutral, #121921 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 #121921 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #121921 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.

#121921 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #121921

Not just a swatch — here's how #121921 works with other colors. Named schemes with #121921 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #121921 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #2F363E

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 #121921 Secondary #7F4537 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233B

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 #121921 Surface #ECEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 Ink #2C2724

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 #121921 Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #121921 Secondary #383B3E Support #959386 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 #121921 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 24/100

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 19/100

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 7/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 9/100

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 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #121921

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #121921 with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Gainsboro 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 17.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C8D0DB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #121421 — 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 #121921 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
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Packaging

BLOOM

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250 ml

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #121921;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 25 33;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(21.0% 0.019 252.1);
  --color-50: #F5F7FA;
  --color-100: #E4EAF1;
  --color-200: #CAD5E2;
  --color-300: #A5B6CA;
  --color-400: #8197B1;
  --color-500: #617994;
  --color-600: #4F6073;
  --color-700: #3C4753;
  --color-800: #293037;
  --color-900: #1B1E23;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F5F7FA',
    100: '#E4EAF1',
    200: '#CAD5E2',
    300: '#A5B6CA',
    400: '#8197B1',
    500: '#617994',
    600: '#4F6073',
    700: '#3C4753',
    800: '#293037',
    900: '#1B1E23',
  },
}

$base: #121921;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F5F7FA;
$base-100: #E4EAF1;
$base-200: #CAD5E2;
$base-300: #A5B6CA;
$base-400: #8197B1;
$base-500: #617994;
$base-600: #4F6073;
$base-700: #3C4753;
$base-800: #293037;
$base-900: #1B1E23;
$base-hover: #0E141A;
$base-subtle: #ABB9C9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#121921",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F7FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4EAF1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CAD5E2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A5B6CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8197B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#617994",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F6073",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C4753",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#293037",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1E23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #121921

Color Lab

Pairs with #121921

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export