What color is #16151D?

#16151D is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 21, 29), and in HSL hsl(248, 16%, 10%).

Is #16151D accessible as text?

On white, #16151D has a contrast ratio of 18.12:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.16:1 (fails). For text placed on #16151D, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16151D?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-900 (#18181B).

What colors go well with #16151D?

As a neutral, #16151D 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 #16151D the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #16151D 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.

#16151D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16151D

Not just a swatch — here's how #16151D works with other colors. Named schemes with #16151D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #16151D Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #33323A

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 #16151D Secondary #7E4633 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 #16151D Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16151D Surface #F5E5D7 Anchor #5C2141 Accent #E5C2C8 Secondary #332B2F

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

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #16151D Secondary #38383B Support #9D9088 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.

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Color Lab

How #16151D 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 23/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 75/100

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 20/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 74/100

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 8/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 67/100

High

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

Print safety 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #16151D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16151D 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 18.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CDCCD6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #19151E — 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 #16151D 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: #16151D;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 21 29;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(20.1% 0.016 290.6);
  --color-50: #F6F6F9;
  --color-100: #E8E7EE;
  --color-200: #D1D0DD;
  --color-300: #B0ADC2;
  --color-400: #8F8CA6;
  --color-500: #706C88;
  --color-600: #5A576B;
  --color-700: #43414E;
  --color-800: #2E2D34;
  --color-900: #1D1C21;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F6F9',
    100: '#E8E7EE',
    200: '#D1D0DD',
    300: '#B0ADC2',
    400: '#8F8CA6',
    500: '#706C88',
    600: '#5A576B',
    700: '#43414E',
    800: '#2E2D34',
    900: '#1D1C21',
  },
}

$base: #16151D;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F6F9;
$base-100: #E8E7EE;
$base-200: #D1D0DD;
$base-300: #B0ADC2;
$base-400: #8F8CA6;
$base-500: #706C88;
$base-600: #5A576B;
$base-700: #43414E;
$base-800: #2E2D34;
$base-900: #1D1C21;
$base-hover: #121118;
$base-subtle: #B4B2C3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16151D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8E7EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D1D0DD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B0ADC2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8F8CA6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#706C88",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5A576B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#43414E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E2D34",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1C21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #16151D

Color Lab

Pairs with #16151D

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export