What color is #162136?

#162136 is a very dark blue. In RGB it is rgb(22, 33, 54), and in HSL hsl(219, 42%, 15%).

Is #162136 accessible as text?

On white, #162136 has a contrast ratio of 16.09:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.30:1 (fails). For text placed on #162136, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #162136?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-800 (#2A212C).

What colors go well with #162136?

#162136 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #362B16. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #162136 below.

Is #162136 good for buttons?

#162136 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #162136 — black text only reaches 1.30:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #162136 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #162136 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#162136 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #162136

Not just a swatch — here's how #162136 works with other colors. Named schemes with #162136 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #162136 Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF 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 #162136 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D93A7 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 #162136 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #344054

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 #162136 Secondary #7F4536 Surface #E1DDC1 Accent #375246 Anchor #57223A

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 #162136 Secondary #40454D 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 #162136 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 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 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 26/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 17/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 56/100

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 #162136

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #162136 with

Dark Slate Gray Graphite Bistre Gainsboro Charcoal

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 #C7D0E1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #161736 — 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 #162136 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: #162136;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 33 54;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.9% 0.043 262.6);
  --color-50: #F4F6FB;
  --color-100: #E2E8F4;
  --color-200: #C5D1E7;
  --color-300: #9CAFD3;
  --color-400: #768FBC;
  --color-500: #556F9F;
  --color-600: #47597B;
  --color-700: #364258;
  --color-800: #262D3B;
  --color-900: #191D24;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F4F6FB',
    100: '#E2E8F4',
    200: '#C5D1E7',
    300: '#9CAFD3',
    400: '#768FBC',
    500: '#556F9F',
    600: '#47597B',
    700: '#364258',
    800: '#262D3B',
    900: '#191D24',
  },
}

$base: #162136;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F4F6FB;
$base-100: #E2E8F4;
$base-200: #C5D1E7;
$base-300: #9CAFD3;
$base-400: #768FBC;
$base-500: #556F9F;
$base-600: #47597B;
$base-700: #364258;
$base-800: #262D3B;
$base-900: #191D24;
$base-hover: #121B2B;
$base-subtle: #A9B8D3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#162136",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F6FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2E8F4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C5D1E7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9CAFD3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#768FBC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#556F9F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#47597B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#364258",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#262D3B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191D24",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #162136

Color Lab

Pairs with #162136

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export