What color is #12201D?

#12201D is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(18, 32, 29), and in HSL hsl(167, 28%, 10%).

Is #12201D accessible as text?

On white, #12201D has a contrast ratio of 16.80:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.25:1 (fails). For text placed on #12201D, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #12201D?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-900 (#1C1917).

What colors go well with #12201D?

As a neutral, #12201D 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 #12201D the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #12201D 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.

#12201D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #12201D

Not just a swatch — here's how #12201D works with other colors. Named schemes with #12201D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #12201D Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #303E3B

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 #12201D Secondary #734F19 Surface #E4DCC0 Accent #3A5142 Anchor #5B231E

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 #12201D Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B5B19F 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 #12201D Anchor #141210 Accent #BBA94C Secondary #1E2C29 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 #12201D Secondary #3C4140 Support #979286 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #12201D 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 46/100

Neutral

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

Softness 25/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

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

Naturalness 12/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 22/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 8/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 12/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 64/100

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 #12201D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #12201D with

Bottle 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 16.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C8DAD6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #121F21 — 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 #12201D at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #12201D;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 32 29;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.0% 0.020 179.5);
  --color-50: #F5FAF9;
  --color-100: #E5F1EE;
  --color-200: #CBE2DD;
  --color-300: #A6CAC2;
  --color-400: #82B0A6;
  --color-500: #629388;
  --color-600: #4F726B;
  --color-700: #3C534E;
  --color-800: #2A3734;
  --color-900: #1B2221;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F5FAF9',
    100: '#E5F1EE',
    200: '#CBE2DD',
    300: '#A6CAC2',
    400: '#82B0A6',
    500: '#629388',
    600: '#4F726B',
    700: '#3C534E',
    800: '#2A3734',
    900: '#1B2221',
  },
}

$base: #12201D;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F5FAF9;
$base-100: #E5F1EE;
$base-200: #CBE2DD;
$base-300: #A6CAC2;
$base-400: #82B0A6;
$base-500: #629388;
$base-600: #4F726B;
$base-700: #3C534E;
$base-800: #2A3734;
$base-900: #1B2221;
$base-hover: #0F1A18;
$base-subtle: #ABC9C2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#12201D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5FAF9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5F1EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CBE2DD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A6CAC2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#82B0A6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#629388",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4F726B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3C534E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A3734",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B2221",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #12201D

Color Lab

Pairs with #12201D

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export