What color is #161B4E?

#161B4E is a dark blue-violet. In RGB it is rgb(22, 27, 78), and in HSL hsl(235, 56%, 20%).

Is #161B4E accessible as text?

On white, #161B4E has a contrast ratio of 16.14:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.30:1 (fails). For text placed on #161B4E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #161B4E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-950 (#1E1A4D).

What colors go well with #161B4E?

#161B4E pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #504B16. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #161B4E below.

Is #161B4E good for buttons?

#161B4E works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #161B4E — black text only reaches 1.30:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #161B4E the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #161B4E is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#161B4E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #161B4E

Not just a swatch — here's how #161B4E works with other colors. Named schemes with #161B4E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161B4E Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #21344A

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

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #161B4E Anchor #141210 Accent #DC9659 Secondary #262833 Surface #F3ECE3

Navy 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 #161B4E Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DB Accent #0A021F

Navy 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 Navy.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161B4E Secondary #7F4535 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365247 Anchor #582239

Navy 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 #161B4E Secondary #404558 Support #9D8F88 Ink #18140F

Navy 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 Navy carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #161B4E 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 30/100

Cool

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

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 36/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 77/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 36/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 24/100

Low

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

Surface fit 40/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 85/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #161B4E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #161B4E with

Classic Blue Russian Violet Army Green 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 16.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C6C8E7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #251650 — 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 #161B4E at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Build faster.

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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: #161B4E;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 27 78;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(25.4% 0.093 273.5);
  --color-50: #F3F3FC;
  --color-100: #DFE1F7;
  --color-200: #BFC3ED;
  --color-300: #9399DC;
  --color-400: #6B72C7;
  --color-500: #4951AC;
  --color-600: #3E4484;
  --color-700: #31355E;
  --color-800: #23253E;
  --color-900: #171826;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  navy: {
    50: '#F3F3FC',
    100: '#DFE1F7',
    200: '#BFC3ED',
    300: '#9399DC',
    400: '#6B72C7',
    500: '#4951AC',
    600: '#3E4484',
    700: '#31355E',
    800: '#23253E',
    900: '#171826',
  },
}

$base: #161B4E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F3F3FC;
$base-100: #DFE1F7;
$base-200: #BFC3ED;
$base-300: #9399DC;
$base-400: #6B72C7;
$base-500: #4951AC;
$base-600: #3E4484;
$base-700: #31355E;
$base-800: #23253E;
$base-900: #171826;
$base-hover: #121640;
$base-subtle: #A8ACDC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#161B4E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F3FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFE1F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#BFC3ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9399DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6B72C7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4951AC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3E4484",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#31355E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23253E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171826",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}