What color is #16121F?

#16121F is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 18, 31), and in HSL hsl(258, 27%, 10%).

Is #16121F accessible as text?

On white, #16121F has a contrast ratio of 18.41:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.14:1 (fails). For text placed on #16121F, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16121F?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-900 (#101828).

What colors go well with #16121F?

As a neutral, #16121F 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 #16121F the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #16121F 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.

#16121F Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16121F

Not just a swatch — here's how #16121F works with other colors. Named schemes with #16121F in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16121F Secondary #7E4632 Surface #EDD8C2 Accent #355248 Anchor #582237

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 #16121F Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #16121F Anchor #141210 Accent #DA9856 Secondary #2A2732 Surface #F3ECE3

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 #F8F4EF Accent #16121F Secondary #37353B Support #9C9088 Ink #18140F

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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16121F Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C2140 Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

Graphite sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

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Color Lab

How #16121F 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 47/100

Neutral

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

Softness 22/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 76/100

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 22/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 75/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 10/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 8/100

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 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #16121F

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16121F with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Gainsboro Onyx

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 18.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CEC8DA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1B1320 — 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 #16121F at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

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$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

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Packaging

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #16121F;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 18 31;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(19.4% 0.026 298.0);
  --color-50: #F6F5FA;
  --color-100: #E8E5F0;
  --color-200: #D2CBE1;
  --color-300: #B1A6C9;
  --color-400: #9083AF;
  --color-500: #716392;
  --color-600: #5A5072;
  --color-700: #433D52;
  --color-800: #2E2A37;
  --color-900: #1D1B22;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F5FA',
    100: '#E8E5F0',
    200: '#D2CBE1',
    300: '#B1A6C9',
    400: '#9083AF',
    500: '#716392',
    600: '#5A5072',
    700: '#433D52',
    800: '#2E2A37',
    900: '#1D1B22',
  },
}

$base: #16121F;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F5FA;
$base-100: #E8E5F0;
$base-200: #D2CBE1;
$base-300: #B1A6C9;
$base-400: #9083AF;
$base-500: #716392;
$base-600: #5A5072;
$base-700: #433D52;
$base-800: #2E2A37;
$base-900: #1D1B22;
$base-hover: #120F1A;
$base-subtle: #B4ACC8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16121F",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F5FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8E5F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D2CBE1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B1A6C9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9083AF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#716392",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5A5072",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#433D52",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E2A37",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1B22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #16121F

Color Lab

Pairs with #16121F

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export