What color is #16231B?

#16231B is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 35, 27), and in HSL hsl(143, 23%, 11%).

Is #16231B accessible as text?

On white, #16231B has a contrast ratio of 16.27:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.29:1 (fails). For text placed on #16231B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16231B?

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

What colors go well with #16231B?

As a neutral, #16231B 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 #16231B the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #16231B 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.

#16231B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16231B

Not just a swatch — here's how #16231B works with other colors. Named schemes with #16231B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16231B Secondary #4A6C3D Accent #AC6C00 Surface #EEEAD6 Anchor #3C2F20

Graphite leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16231B Secondary #744E1A Surface #E5DBC0 Accent #3C5140 Anchor #5B2321

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 #16231B Surface #EEEADC Highlight #F5F1E7 Secondary #B6B09F 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 #16231B Anchor #141210 Accent #BEA74B Secondary #212C25 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 #16231B Secondary #3F4441 Support #989286 Ink #17140F

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.

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Color Lab

How #16231B 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 71/100

High

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

Naturalness 30/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 26/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 9/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 14/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 62/100

High

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

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #16231B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16231B 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 16.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CAD9D0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #16231F — 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 #16231B 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: #16231B;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 35 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.1% 0.024 157.1);
  --color-50: #F5F9F7;
  --color-100: #E6F0E9;
  --color-200: #CDE0D4;
  --color-300: #A9C6B4;
  --color-400: #86AC95;
  --color-500: #668F76;
  --color-600: #536F5E;
  --color-700: #3E5145;
  --color-800: #2B362F;
  --color-900: #1B221E;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F5F9F7',
    100: '#E6F0E9',
    200: '#CDE0D4',
    300: '#A9C6B4',
    400: '#86AC95',
    500: '#668F76',
    600: '#536F5E',
    700: '#3E5145',
    800: '#2B362F',
    900: '#1B221E',
  },
}

$base: #16231B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F5F9F7;
$base-100: #E6F0E9;
$base-200: #CDE0D4;
$base-300: #A9C6B4;
$base-400: #86AC95;
$base-500: #668F76;
$base-600: #536F5E;
$base-700: #3E5145;
$base-800: #2B362F;
$base-900: #1B221E;
$base-hover: #111C15;
$base-subtle: #AFC7B8;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16231B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F9F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6F0E9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CDE0D4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A9C6B4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#86AC95",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#668F76",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#536F5E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3E5145",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B362F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B221E",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #16231B

Color Lab

Pairs with #16231B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export