What color is #161B35?

#161B35 is a very dark blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(22, 27, 53), and in HSL hsl(230, 41%, 15%).

Is #161B35 accessible as text?

On white, #161B35 has a contrast ratio of 16.90:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.24:1 (fails). For text placed on #161B35, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #161B35?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-900 (#1D161E).

What colors go well with #161B35?

#161B35 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #363117. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #161B35 below.

Is #161B35 good for buttons?

#161B35 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #161B35 — black text only reaches 1.24:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #161B35 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #161B35 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#161B35 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #161B35

Not just a swatch — here's how #161B35 works with other colors. Named schemes with #161B35 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161B35 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.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #161B35 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Graphite keeps this Nordic scheme quiet — cool greys and a soft white around it, a muted-blue support and a charcoal anchor.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #161B35 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #333953

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 #161B35 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #161B35 Secondary #3D404A Support #9D8F88 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #161B35 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 39/100

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 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 20/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 16/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 55/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 92/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #161B35

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #161B35 with

Charcoal Russian Violet Bistre 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 16.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C7CBE0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1C1736 — 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 #161B35 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: #161B35;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 27 53;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.2% 0.051 273.6);
  --color-50: #F4F5FB;
  --color-100: #E2E5F3;
  --color-200: #C6CBE7;
  --color-300: #9DA6D2;
  --color-400: #7782BB;
  --color-500: #56629E;
  --color-600: #47507A;
  --color-700: #373C58;
  --color-800: #272A3A;
  --color-900: #191B24;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F4F5FB',
    100: '#E2E5F3',
    200: '#C6CBE7',
    300: '#9DA6D2',
    400: '#7782BB',
    500: '#56629E',
    600: '#47507A',
    700: '#373C58',
    800: '#272A3A',
    900: '#191B24',
  },
}

$base: #161B35;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F4F5FB;
$base-100: #E2E5F3;
$base-200: #C6CBE7;
$base-300: #9DA6D2;
$base-400: #7782BB;
$base-500: #56629E;
$base-600: #47507A;
$base-700: #373C58;
$base-800: #272A3A;
$base-900: #191B24;
$base-hover: #12162B;
$base-subtle: #AAB0D2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#161B35",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F5FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2E5F3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C6CBE7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9DA6D2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7782BB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#56629E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#47507A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#373C58",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#272A3A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191B24",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #161B35

Color Lab

Pairs with #161B35

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export