What color is #171A23?

#171A23 is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(23, 26, 35), and in HSL hsl(225, 21%, 11%).

Is #171A23 accessible as text?

On white, #171A23 has a contrast ratio of 17.38:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.21:1 (fails). For text placed on #171A23, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #171A23?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-900 (#18181B).

What colors go well with #171A23?

As a neutral, #171A23 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 #171A23 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #171A23 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.

#171A23 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #171A23

Not just a swatch — here's how #171A23 works with other colors. Named schemes with #171A23 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #171A23 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #343740

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 #171A23 Secondary #7F4535 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365246 Anchor #582239

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 #171A23 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEACA2 Ink #2C2724

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.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #171A23 Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5C0 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #171A23 Secondary #3B3D40 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.

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Color Lab

How #171A23 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 46/100

Neutral

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

Softness 25/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

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 20/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 7/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 10/100

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 #171A23

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #171A23 with

Gunmetal Gray 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 17.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CBCED8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #171622 — 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 #171A23 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: #171A23;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 26 35;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(21.9% 0.018 270.4);
  --color-50: #F6F6F9;
  --color-100: #E6E8EF;
  --color-200: #CED2DF;
  --color-300: #AAB1C5;
  --color-400: #8890AA;
  --color-500: #68718D;
  --color-600: #545A6E;
  --color-700: #3F4350;
  --color-800: #2B2E35;
  --color-900: #1C1D21;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F6F9',
    100: '#E6E8EF',
    200: '#CED2DF',
    300: '#AAB1C5',
    400: '#8890AA',
    500: '#68718D',
    600: '#545A6E',
    700: '#3F4350',
    800: '#2B2E35',
    900: '#1C1D21',
  },
}

$base: #171A23;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F6F9;
$base-100: #E6E8EF;
$base-200: #CED2DF;
$base-300: #AAB1C5;
$base-400: #8890AA;
$base-500: #68718D;
$base-600: #545A6E;
$base-700: #3F4350;
$base-800: #2B2E35;
$base-900: #1C1D21;
$base-hover: #12141B;
$base-subtle: #B0B5C6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#171A23",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F6F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6E8EF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CED2DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AAB1C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8890AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#68718D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#545A6E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4350",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B2E35",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1D21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #171A23

Color Lab

Pairs with #171A23

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export