What color is #121C18?

#121C18 is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(18, 28, 24), and in HSL hsl(156, 22%, 9%).

Is #121C18 accessible as text?

On white, #121C18 has a contrast ratio of 17.43:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.21:1 (fails). For text placed on #121C18, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #121C18?

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

What colors go well with #121C18?

As a neutral, #121C18 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 #121C18 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #121C18 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.

#121C18 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #121C18

Not just a swatch — here's how #121C18 works with other colors. Named schemes with #121C18 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #121C18 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #303935

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 #121C18 Secondary #744F19 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 #121C18 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 #121C18 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #121C18 Secondary #393D3B 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 #121C18 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 48/100

Neutral

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

Softness 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

High

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

Naturalness 18/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 21/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 6/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 10/100

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 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #121C18

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #121C18 with

Sacramento 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 17.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C9D8D2 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #121C1B — 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 #121C18 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

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #121C18;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 28 24;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(21.5% 0.017 168.2);
  --color-50: #F6F9F8;
  --color-100: #E6EFEC;
  --color-200: #CDDFD8;
  --color-300: #A9C6BA;
  --color-400: #87AB9D;
  --color-500: #678E7E;
  --color-600: #536F64;
  --color-700: #3F5049;
  --color-800: #2B3632;
  --color-900: #1C221F;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F9F8',
    100: '#E6EFEC',
    200: '#CDDFD8',
    300: '#A9C6BA',
    400: '#87AB9D',
    500: '#678E7E',
    600: '#536F64',
    700: '#3F5049',
    800: '#2B3632',
    900: '#1C221F',
  },
}

$base: #121C18;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F9F8;
$base-100: #E6EFEC;
$base-200: #CDDFD8;
$base-300: #A9C6BA;
$base-400: #87AB9D;
$base-500: #678E7E;
$base-600: #536F64;
$base-700: #3F5049;
$base-800: #2B3632;
$base-900: #1C221F;
$base-hover: #0E1613;
$base-subtle: #AEC5BC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#121C18",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F9F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EFEC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CDDFD8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A9C6BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#87AB9D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#678E7E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#536F64",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F5049",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3632",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C221F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #121C18

Color Lab

Pairs with #121C18

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export