What color is #161409?

#161409 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 20, 9), and in HSL hsl(51, 42%, 6%).

Is #161409 accessible as text?

On white, #161409 has a contrast ratio of 18.45:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.14:1 (fails). For text placed on #161409, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #161409?

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

What colors go well with #161409?

As a neutral, #161409 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 #161409 the same as CSS black?

No — #161409 is not the CSS named color black, but black (#000000) is the closest CSS named color.

#161409 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #161409

Not just a swatch — here's how #161409 works with other colors. Named schemes with #161409 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161409 Secondary #536A36 Accent #B2680D Surface #F0E9D6 Anchor #3D2E21

Graphite leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #161409 Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #56686F Accent #323126

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 #161409 Secondary #784C20 Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2227

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 #161409 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F Ink #2B2723

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #161409 Secondary #363531 Support #999186 Ink #17140F

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 #161409 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 54/100

Neutral

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

Softness 21/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 76/100

High

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

Naturalness 30/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 27/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 75/100

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 8/100

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 #161409

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #161409 with

Graphite Jet Black Greige Army Green

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 18.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DED9C1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #131609 — 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 #161409 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: #161409;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 20 9;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(19.0% 0.021 99.2);
  --color-50: #FBFAF4;
  --color-100: #F4F1E2;
  --color-200: #E7E2C5;
  --color-300: #D3CB9C;
  --color-400: #BCB176;
  --color-500: #9F9455;
  --color-600: #7B7347;
  --color-700: #585336;
  --color-800: #3B3826;
  --color-900: #242319;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FBFAF4',
    100: '#F4F1E2',
    200: '#E7E2C5',
    300: '#D3CB9C',
    400: '#BCB176',
    500: '#9F9455',
    600: '#7B7347',
    700: '#585336',
    800: '#3B3826',
    900: '#242319',
  },
}

$base: #161409;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FBFAF4;
$base-100: #F4F1E2;
$base-200: #E7E2C5;
$base-300: #D3CB9C;
$base-400: #BCB176;
$base-500: #9F9455;
$base-600: #7B7347;
$base-700: #585336;
$base-800: #3B3826;
$base-900: #242319;
$base-hover: #111007;
$base-subtle: #CEC7A0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#161409",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FBFAF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F4F1E2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E7E2C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#D3CB9C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#BCB176",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#9F9455",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#7B7347",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#585336",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#3B3826",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#242319",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #161409

Color Lab

Pairs with #161409

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export