What color is #16201C?

#16201C is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 32, 28), and in HSL hsl(156, 19%, 11%).

Is #16201C accessible as text?

On white, #16201C has a contrast ratio of 16.70:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.26:1 (fails). For text placed on #16201C, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16201C?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-900 (#1C1917).

What colors go well with #16201C?

As a neutral, #16201C 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 #16201C the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #16201C 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.

#16201C Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16201C

Not just a swatch — here's how #16201C works with other colors. Named schemes with #16201C in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #16201C Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #586771 Accent #343E3A

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 #16201C Secondary #734F19 Surface #E5DBC0 Accent #3B5141 Anchor #5B231F

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 #16201C Surface #EDEADC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B5B09F Ink #2A2723

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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #16201C Anchor #141210 Accent #BDA84C Secondary #1F2C27 Surface #F1EDE3

Graphite 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #16201C Secondary #3E4140 Support #989286 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #16201C 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 26/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 18/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 22/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 71/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 6/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 12/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 65/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #16201C

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16201C with

Bottle Green Graphite Platinum Dark Slate Gray

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 16.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CBD8D3 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #172121 — 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 #16201C 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: #16201C;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 32 28;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.2% 0.016 168.4);
  --color-50: #F6F9F8;
  --color-100: #E7EFEB;
  --color-200: #CEDED8;
  --color-300: #ABC4BA;
  --color-400: #89A99C;
  --color-500: #6A8B7E;
  --color-600: #556D63;
  --color-700: #404F49;
  --color-800: #2C3531;
  --color-900: #1C211F;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F9F8',
    100: '#E7EFEB',
    200: '#CEDED8',
    300: '#ABC4BA',
    400: '#89A99C',
    500: '#6A8B7E',
    600: '#556D63',
    700: '#404F49',
    800: '#2C3531',
    900: '#1C211F',
  },
}

$base: #16201C;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F9F8;
$base-100: #E7EFEB;
$base-200: #CEDED8;
$base-300: #ABC4BA;
$base-400: #89A99C;
$base-500: #6A8B7E;
$base-600: #556D63;
$base-700: #404F49;
$base-800: #2C3531;
$base-900: #1C211F;
$base-hover: #121B17;
$base-subtle: #B1C5BD;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16201C",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F9F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7EFEB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CEDED8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#ABC4BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#89A99C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6A8B7E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#556D63",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#404F49",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2C3531",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C211F",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #16201C

Color Lab

Pairs with #16201C

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export