What color is #171C23?

#171C23 is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(23, 28, 35), and in HSL hsl(215, 21%, 11%).

Is #171C23 accessible as text?

On white, #171C23 has a contrast ratio of 17.12:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.23:1 (fails). For text placed on #171C23, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #171C23?

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

What colors go well with #171C23?

As a neutral, #171C23 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 #171C23 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #171C23 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.

#171C23 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #171C23

Not just a swatch — here's how #171C23 works with other colors. Named schemes with #171C23 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #171C23 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #343A41

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 #171C23 Secondary #7F4537 Surface #E1DDC1 Accent #375246 Anchor #57233B

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 #171C23 Surface #EBEADC Highlight #F4F2E7 Secondary #B2B2A0 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 #171C23 Accent #A5C4C1 Surface #DDDBBF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #20344A

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 #F6F4EF Accent #171C23 Secondary #3C3E41 Support #9D8F89 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 #171C23 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 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 19/100

Very low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 6/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 11/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 66/100

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 #171C23

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #171C23 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 17.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CBD0D8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #161722 — 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 #171C23 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: #171C23;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 28 35;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(22.5% 0.016 256.8);
  --color-50: #F6F7F9;
  --color-100: #E6EAEF;
  --color-200: #CED5DF;
  --color-300: #AAB5C5;
  --color-400: #8896AA;
  --color-500: #68778D;
  --color-600: #545F6E;
  --color-700: #3F4650;
  --color-800: #2B3035;
  --color-900: #1C1E21;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F7F9',
    100: '#E6EAEF',
    200: '#CED5DF',
    300: '#AAB5C5',
    400: '#8896AA',
    500: '#68778D',
    600: '#545F6E',
    700: '#3F4650',
    800: '#2B3035',
    900: '#1C1E21',
  },
}

$base: #171C23;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F7F9;
$base-100: #E6EAEF;
$base-200: #CED5DF;
$base-300: #AAB5C5;
$base-400: #8896AA;
$base-500: #68778D;
$base-600: #545F6E;
$base-700: #3F4650;
$base-800: #2B3035;
$base-900: #1C1E21;
$base-hover: #12161B;
$base-subtle: #B0B9C6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#171C23",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F7F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E6EAEF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CED5DF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AAB5C5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8896AA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#68778D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#545F6E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3F4650",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2B3035",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1C1E21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #171C23

Color Lab

Pairs with #171C23

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export