What color is #16171B?

#16171B is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 23, 27), and in HSL hsl(228, 10%, 10%).

Is #16171B accessible as text?

On white, #16171B has a contrast ratio of 17.91:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.17:1 (fails). For text placed on #16171B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16171B?

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

What colors go well with #16171B?

As a neutral, #16171B 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 #16171B the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #16171B 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.

#16171B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16171B

Not just a swatch — here's how #16171B works with other colors. Named schemes with #16171B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #16171B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #333438

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 #16171B Secondary #7F4535 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365247 Anchor #582239

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 #16171B Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16171B Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

Graphite opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #16171B Secondary #39393B 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 #16171B 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 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 74/100

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 18/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 3/100

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 69/100

High

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

Print safety 99/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #16171B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16171B with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Gainsboro Charcoal

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 17.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CECFD4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #18171C — 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 #16171B 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: #16171B;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 23 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(20.5% 0.008 274.5);
  --color-50: #F7F7F8;
  --color-100: #E8E9ED;
  --color-200: #D2D4DA;
  --color-300: #B1B4BE;
  --color-400: #9194A1;
  --color-500: #727583;
  --color-600: #5B5D67;
  --color-700: #43454B;
  --color-800: #2E2F33;
  --color-900: #1D1E20;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F7F7F8',
    100: '#E8E9ED',
    200: '#D2D4DA',
    300: '#B1B4BE',
    400: '#9194A1',
    500: '#727583',
    600: '#5B5D67',
    700: '#43454B',
    800: '#2E2F33',
    900: '#1D1E20',
  },
}

$base: #16171B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F7F8;
$base-100: #E8E9ED;
$base-200: #D2D4DA;
$base-300: #B1B4BE;
$base-400: #9194A1;
$base-500: #727583;
$base-600: #5B5D67;
$base-700: #43454B;
$base-800: #2E2F33;
$base-900: #1D1E20;
$base-hover: #121316;
$base-subtle: #B5B7BF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16171B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8E9ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D2D4DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B1B4BE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9194A1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#727583",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5B5D67",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#43454B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E2F33",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1E20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #16171B

Color Lab

Pairs with #16171B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export