What color is #16232E?

#16232E is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(22, 35, 46), and in HSL hsl(208, 35%, 13%).

Is #16232E accessible as text?

On white, #16232E has a contrast ratio of 15.98:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.31:1 (fails). For text placed on #16232E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #16232E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-800 (#1E2939).

What colors go well with #16232E?

As a neutral, #16232E 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 #16232E the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #16232E 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.

#16232E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #16232E

Not just a swatch — here's how #16232E works with other colors. Named schemes with #16232E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #16232E Accent #A5C4C0 Surface #DEDBBF Secondary #9AA0A0 Anchor #20344A

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 #16232E Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7C93A6 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 #16232E Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #35414C

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 #16232E Secondary #7F4438 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 Anchor #57233C

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 #F6F4EF Accent #16232E Secondary #41464A Support #969386 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.

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Color Lab

How #16232E 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 42/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 27/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 71/100

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 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 11/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 15/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 60/100

High

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

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #16232E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #16232E with

Brunswick Green Graphite 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 16.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C7D3DE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #161A2D — 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 #16232E 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: #16232E;
  --color-base-rgb: 22 35 46;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(25.0% 0.028 244.8);
  --color-50: #F4F8FA;
  --color-100: #E3EBF2;
  --color-200: #C8D7E4;
  --color-300: #A1B9CE;
  --color-400: #7C9BB6;
  --color-500: #5C7C99;
  --color-600: #4B6277;
  --color-700: #394856;
  --color-800: #283139;
  --color-900: #1A1F23;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F4F8FA',
    100: '#E3EBF2',
    200: '#C8D7E4',
    300: '#A1B9CE',
    400: '#7C9BB6',
    500: '#5C7C99',
    600: '#4B6277',
    700: '#394856',
    800: '#283139',
    900: '#1A1F23',
  },
}

$base: #16232E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F4F8FA;
$base-100: #E3EBF2;
$base-200: #C8D7E4;
$base-300: #A1B9CE;
$base-400: #7C9BB6;
$base-500: #5C7C99;
$base-600: #4B6277;
$base-700: #394856;
$base-800: #283139;
$base-900: #1A1F23;
$base-hover: #111B24;
$base-subtle: #ABBECE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#16232E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F8FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E3EBF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C8D7E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A1B9CE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7C9BB6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5C7C99",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#4B6277",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#394856",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#283139",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1A1F23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #16232E

Color Lab

Pairs with #16232E

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export