What color is #121998?

#121998 is a dark, vivid blue. In RGB it is rgb(18, 25, 152), and in HSL hsl(237, 79%, 33%).

Is #121998 accessible as text?

On white, #121998 has a contrast ratio of 12.98:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.62:1 (fails). For text placed on #121998, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #121998?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-900 (#312C85).

What colors go well with #121998?

#121998 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #979012. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #121998 below.

Is #121998 good for buttons?

#121998 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #121998 — black text only reaches 1.62:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #121998 the same as CSS darkblue?

No — #121998 is not the CSS named color darkblue, but darkblue (#00008B) is the closest CSS named color.

#121998 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #121998

Not just a swatch — here's how #121998 works with other colors. Named schemes with #121998 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #121998 Anchor #141210 Accent #DD965A Secondary #242933 Surface #F4ECE3

Zaffre 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.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #121998 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #2D49B6

Zaffre is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Zaffre.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #121998 Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DB Accent #1B0053

Zaffre 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 Zaffre.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #121998 Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Zaffre 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 #F8F4EF Accent #121998 Secondary #4B5A83 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Zaffre 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 Zaffre carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #121998 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 10/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 22/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 71/100

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 18/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 65/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 75/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 45/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 18/100

Very low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 66/100

High

Prints close, with a slight loss of vibrancy.

Pairs with #121998

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #121998 with

Steel Blue Indigo Olive Gainsboro Prussian Blue

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 13.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C9CBF0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #371297 — 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 #121998 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: #121998;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 25 152;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(33.3% 0.195 267.6);
  --color-50: #F1F1FE;
  --color-100: #DADBFC;
  --color-200: #B6B9F6;
  --color-300: #858AEB;
  --color-400: #585EDA;
  --color-500: #353CC0;
  --color-600: #303592;
  --color-700: #282B67;
  --color-800: #1D1F43;
  --color-900: #141529;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  zaffre: {
    50: '#F1F1FE',
    100: '#DADBFC',
    200: '#B6B9F6',
    300: '#858AEB',
    400: '#585EDA',
    500: '#353CC0',
    600: '#303592',
    700: '#282B67',
    800: '#1D1F43',
    900: '#141529',
  },
}

$base: #121998;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F1F1FE;
$base-100: #DADBFC;
$base-200: #B6B9F6;
$base-300: #858AEB;
$base-400: #585EDA;
$base-500: #353CC0;
$base-600: #303592;
$base-700: #282B67;
$base-800: #1D1F43;
$base-900: #141529;
$base-hover: #0E1379;
$base-subtle: #ADB0EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#121998",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F1FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DADBFC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B6B9F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#858AEB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#585EDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#353CC0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#303592",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#282B67",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1D1F43",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#141529",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #121998

Color Lab

Pairs with #121998

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export