What color is #161E49?

#161E49 is a dark blue. In RGB it is rgb(22, 30, 73), and in HSL hsl(231, 54%, 19%).

Is #161E49 accessible as text?

On white, #161E49 has a contrast ratio of 15.96:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.32:1 (fails). For text placed on #161E49, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #161E49?

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

What colors go well with #161E49?

#161E49 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #4B4316. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #161E49 below.

Is #161E49 good for buttons?

#161E49 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #161E49 — black text only reaches 1.32:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #161E49 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #161E49 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#161E49 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #161E49

Not just a swatch — here's how #161E49 works with other colors. Named schemes with #161E49 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161E49 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.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #161E49 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7E92A7 Anchor #2E3236

Navy 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 #161E49 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #343E68

Navy is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Navy.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #161E49 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 #161E49 Secondary #414656 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 #161E49 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 32/100

Cool

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

Softness 25/100

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 35/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 76/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 31/100

Low

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 23/100

Low

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

Surface fit 44/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 87/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #161E49

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #161E49 with

Dark Slate Gray Russian Violet Espresso 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 16.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C6CAE6 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #20164B — 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 #161E49 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: #161E49;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 30 73;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(25.6% 0.080 271.6);
  --color-50: #F3F4FC;
  --color-100: #DFE2F6;
  --color-200: #C0C7EC;
  --color-300: #959FDA;
  --color-400: #6C7AC6;
  --color-500: #4B59AA;
  --color-600: #3F4983;
  --color-700: #32385D;
  --color-800: #23273D;
  --color-900: #171926;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  navy: {
    50: '#F3F4FC',
    100: '#DFE2F6',
    200: '#C0C7EC',
    300: '#959FDA',
    400: '#6C7AC6',
    500: '#4B59AA',
    600: '#3F4983',
    700: '#32385D',
    800: '#23273D',
    900: '#171926',
  },
}

$base: #161E49;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F3F4FC;
$base-100: #DFE2F6;
$base-200: #C0C7EC;
$base-300: #959FDA;
$base-400: #6C7AC6;
$base-500: #4B59AA;
$base-600: #3F4983;
$base-700: #32385D;
$base-800: #23273D;
$base-900: #171926;
$base-hover: #12183C;
$base-subtle: #A8AFDA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#161E49",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F4FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#DFE2F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C0C7EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#959FDA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#6C7AC6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#4B59AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#3F4983",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#32385D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#23273D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#171926",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}