What color is #12221D?

#12221D is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(18, 34, 29), and in HSL hsl(161, 31%, 10%).

Is #12221D accessible as text?

On white, #12221D has a contrast ratio of 16.51:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.27:1 (fails). For text placed on #12221D, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #12221D?

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

What colors go well with #12221D?

As a neutral, #12221D 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 #12221D the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #12221D 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.

#12221D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #12221D

Not just a swatch — here's how #12221D works with other colors. Named schemes with #12221D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #12221D Secondary #734F19 Surface #E4DBC0 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 #12221D 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 #12221D Anchor #141210 Accent #BCA84C Secondary #1F2C28 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.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #12221D Anchor #292A2E Secondary #6C6F74 Surface #EBE7DA Accent #010706

Graphite 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 Graphite.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #12221D Secondary #3D4341 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 #12221D 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 26/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

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 24/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 13/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 62/100

High

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

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #12221D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #12221D 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 16.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C7DBD5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #122121 — 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 #12221D at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

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$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

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Poster

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #12221D;
  --color-base-rgb: 18 34 29;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.6% 0.024 172.4);
  --color-50: #F5FAF8;
  --color-100: #E4F1ED;
  --color-200: #CAE3DB;
  --color-300: #A4CCBF;
  --color-400: #7FB3A2;
  --color-500: #5F9684;
  --color-600: #4E7468;
  --color-700: #3B544C;
  --color-800: #293833;
  --color-900: #1A2320;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F5FAF8',
    100: '#E4F1ED',
    200: '#CAE3DB',
    300: '#A4CCBF',
    400: '#7FB3A2',
    500: '#5F9684',
    600: '#4E7468',
    700: '#3B544C',
    800: '#293833',
    900: '#1A2320',
  },
}

$base: #12221D;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F5FAF8;
$base-100: #E4F1ED;
$base-200: #CAE3DB;
$base-300: #A4CCBF;
$base-400: #7FB3A2;
$base-500: #5F9684;
$base-600: #4E7468;
$base-700: #3B544C;
$base-800: #293833;
$base-900: #1A2320;
$base-hover: #0E1B17;
$base-subtle: #AACAC0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#12221D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5FAF8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E4F1ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CAE3DB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A4CCBF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7FB3A2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5F9684",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4E7468",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3B544C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#293833",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A2320",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #12221D

Color Lab

Pairs with #12221D

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export