What color is #161981?

#161981 is a dark, vivid blue. In RGB it is rgb(22, 25, 129), and in HSL hsl(238, 71%, 30%).

Is #161981 accessible as text?

On white, #161981 has a contrast ratio of 14.09:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.49:1 (fails). For text placed on #161981, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #161981?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-900 (#312C85).

What colors go well with #161981?

#161981 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #837F16. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #161981 below.

Is #161981 good for buttons?

#161981 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #161981 — black text only reaches 1.49:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #161981 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #161981 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#161981 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #161981

Not just a swatch — here's how #161981 works with other colors. Named schemes with #161981 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #161981 Anchor #141210 Accent #DC9659 Secondary #252933 Surface #F3ECE3

Midnight Blue 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.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #161981 Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DB Accent #160042

Midnight Blue adds the colour to this moody editorial scheme — charcoal and a mid-grey around it, a bone highlight, and a muted jewel accent drawn from Midnight Blue.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161981 Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

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

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161981 Secondary #7F4535 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365246 Anchor #582239

Midnight Blue plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #161981 Secondary #485375 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Midnight Blue 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 Midnight Blue carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #161981 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 12/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 23/100

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 24/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 70/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 64/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 41/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 20/100

Low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 72/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #161981

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #161981 with

Lapis Lazuli Indigo Olive Gainsboro Prussian Blue

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 14.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C9CAEE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #371683 — 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 #161981 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: #161981;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 25 129;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(30.7% 0.166 270.0);
  --color-50: #F1F2FD;
  --color-100: #DBDCFA;
  --color-200: #B9BBF3;
  --color-300: #8A8DE5;
  --color-400: #5E62D4;
  --color-500: #3C40B9;
  --color-600: #35388D;
  --color-700: #2B2D64;
  --color-800: #1F2142;
  --color-900: #151628;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  midnight-blue: {
    50: '#F1F2FD',
    100: '#DBDCFA',
    200: '#B9BBF3',
    300: '#8A8DE5',
    400: '#5E62D4',
    500: '#3C40B9',
    600: '#35388D',
    700: '#2B2D64',
    800: '#1F2142',
    900: '#151628',
  },
}

$base: #161981;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F1F2FD;
$base-100: #DBDCFA;
$base-200: #B9BBF3;
$base-300: #8A8DE5;
$base-400: #5E62D4;
$base-500: #3C40B9;
$base-600: #35388D;
$base-700: #2B2D64;
$base-800: #1F2142;
$base-900: #151628;
$base-hover: #121569;
$base-subtle: #ADAEE6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#161981",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F1F2FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DBDCFA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#B9BBF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#8A8DE5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#5E62D4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#3C40B9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#35388D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#2B2D64",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#1F2142",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#151628",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #161981

Color Lab

Pairs with #161981

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export