What color is #171717?

#171717 is a very dark near-black gray with essentially no hue. In RGB it is rgb(23, 23, 23), and in HSL hsl(0, 0%, 9%).

Is #171717 accessible as text?

On white, #171717 has a contrast ratio of 17.93:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.17:1 (fails). For text placed on #171717, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #171717?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-900 (#171717).

What colors go well with #171717?

As a neutral, #171717 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 #171717 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #171717 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.

#171717 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #171717

Not just a swatch — here's how #171717 works with other colors. Named schemes with #171717 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #171717 Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #56686F Accent #343434

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 #171717 Secondary #784B21 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2228

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 #171717 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B9AF9F Ink #2B2723

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 #171717 Anchor #141210 Accent #C8A24B Secondary #2D291E Surface #F2EDE3

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 #171717 Secondary #393939 Support #9A9186 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #171717 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 50/100

Neutral

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

Softness 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

High

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

Naturalness 19/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 24/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 0/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 7/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 72/100

High

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

Print safety 100/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #171717

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #171717 with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Gainsboro Outer Space

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 17.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D1D1D1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #171717 — 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 #171717 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #171717;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 23 23;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(20.5% 0.000 89.9);
  --color-50: #F8F7F7;
  --color-100: #EBEAEA;
  --color-200: #D8D5D5;
  --color-300: #BAB5B5;
  --color-400: #9D9595;
  --color-500: #7F7676;
  --color-600: #655D5D;
  --color-700: #4A4545;
  --color-800: #322F2F;
  --color-900: #201D1D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F8F7F7',
    100: '#EBEAEA',
    200: '#D8D5D5',
    300: '#BAB5B5',
    400: '#9D9595',
    500: '#7F7676',
    600: '#655D5D',
    700: '#4A4545',
    800: '#322F2F',
    900: '#201D1D',
  },
}

$base: #171717;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F7F7;
$base-100: #EBEAEA;
$base-200: #D8D5D5;
$base-300: #BAB5B5;
$base-400: #9D9595;
$base-500: #7F7676;
$base-600: #655D5D;
$base-700: #4A4545;
$base-800: #322F2F;
$base-900: #201D1D;
$base-hover: #121212;
$base-subtle: #B9B9B9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#171717",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F7F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EBEAEA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D8D5D5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BAB5B5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9D9595",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#7F7676",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#655D5D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4A4545",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#322F2F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201D1D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #171717

Color Lab

Pairs with #171717

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export