What color is #171C28?

#171C28 is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(23, 28, 40), and in HSL hsl(222, 27%, 12%).

Is #171C28 accessible as text?

On white, #171C28 has a contrast ratio of 17.03:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.23:1 (fails). For text placed on #171C28, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #171C28?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-900 (#101828).

What colors go well with #171C28?

As a neutral, #171C28 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 #171C28 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #171C28 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.

#171C28 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #171C28

Not just a swatch — here's how #171C28 works with other colors. Named schemes with #171C28 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #171C28 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.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #171C28 Secondary #AEB4B8 Surface #F1F2F0 Support #7D92A7 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 #171C28 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #353A46

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 #171C28 Secondary #7F4535 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365246 Anchor #58223A

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 #F8F4EF Accent #171C28 Secondary #3D3F44 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 #171C28 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 44/100

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 22/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 73/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 10/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 12/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 63/100

High

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

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #171C28

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #171C28 with

Onyx 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 17.0:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C9CFDB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #171627 — 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 #171C28 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: #171C28;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 28 40;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(22.7% 0.025 266.9);
  --color-50: #F5F6FA;
  --color-100: #E5E8F0;
  --color-200: #CBD2E1;
  --color-300: #A6B1C9;
  --color-400: #8390AF;
  --color-500: #637192;
  --color-600: #505A72;
  --color-700: #3D4352;
  --color-800: #2A2E37;
  --color-900: #1B1D22;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F5F6FA',
    100: '#E5E8F0',
    200: '#CBD2E1',
    300: '#A6B1C9',
    400: '#8390AF',
    500: '#637192',
    600: '#505A72',
    700: '#3D4352',
    800: '#2A2E37',
    900: '#1B1D22',
  },
}

$base: #171C28;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F5F6FA;
$base-100: #E5E8F0;
$base-200: #CBD2E1;
$base-300: #A6B1C9;
$base-400: #8390AF;
$base-500: #637192;
$base-600: #505A72;
$base-700: #3D4352;
$base-800: #2A2E37;
$base-900: #1B1D22;
$base-hover: #12161F;
$base-subtle: #AEB6C9;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#171C28",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F5F6FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E5E8F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#CBD2E1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#A6B1C9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8390AF",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#637192",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#505A72",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#3D4352",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2A2E37",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1B1D22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #171C28

Color Lab

Pairs with #171C28

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export