What color is #16181B?

#16181B is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 24, 27), and in HSL hsl(216, 10%, 10%).

Is #16181B accessible as text?

On white, #16181B has a contrast ratio of 17.79:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.18:1 (fails). For text placed on #16181B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16181B?

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

What colors go well with #16181B?

As a neutral, #16181B 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 #16181B the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #16181B 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.

#16181B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16181B

Not just a swatch — here's how #16181B works with other colors. Named schemes with #16181B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #16181B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #333538

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 #16181B Secondary #7F4537 Surface #E1DDC1 Accent #375246 Anchor #57223A

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 #16181B Surface #EBEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B1B2A0 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 #16181B Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #F6F4EF Accent #16181B Secondary #393A3B Support #9D8F89 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 #16181B 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 73/100

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 17/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 72/100

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 #16181B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16181B 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 17.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CED0D4 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #17171C — 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 #16181B 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

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #16181B;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 24 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(20.8% 0.007 258.4);
  --color-50: #F7F7F8;
  --color-100: #E8EAED;
  --color-200: #D2D5DA;
  --color-300: #B1B6BE;
  --color-400: #9197A1;
  --color-500: #727983;
  --color-600: #5B6067;
  --color-700: #43474B;
  --color-800: #2E3033;
  --color-900: #1D1E20;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F7F7F8',
    100: '#E8EAED',
    200: '#D2D5DA',
    300: '#B1B6BE',
    400: '#9197A1',
    500: '#727983',
    600: '#5B6067',
    700: '#43474B',
    800: '#2E3033',
    900: '#1D1E20',
  },
}

$base: #16181B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F7F8;
$base-100: #E8EAED;
$base-200: #D2D5DA;
$base-300: #B1B6BE;
$base-400: #9197A1;
$base-500: #727983;
$base-600: #5B6067;
$base-700: #43474B;
$base-800: #2E3033;
$base-900: #1D1E20;
$base-hover: #121416;
$base-subtle: #B5B9BF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16181B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F7F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8EAED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D2D5DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B1B6BE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9197A1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#727983",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5B6067",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#43474B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2E3033",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1E20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #16181B

Color Lab

Pairs with #16181B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export