What color is #172636?

#172636 is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(23, 38, 54), and in HSL hsl(211, 40%, 15%).

Is #172636 accessible as text?

On white, #172636 has a contrast ratio of 15.36:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.37:1 (fails). For text placed on #172636, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #172636?

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

What colors go well with #172636?

As a neutral, #172636 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 #172636 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #172636 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.

#172636 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #172636

Not just a swatch — here's how #172636 works with other colors. Named schemes with #172636 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #172636 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.

Nordic Calm Accent · 5 colors

Accent #172636 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 #172636 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5A6672 Accent #364554

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 #172636 Secondary #7F4537 Surface #E1DDC0 Accent #375245 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F6F4EF Accent #172636 Secondary #44494F Support #959386 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 #172636 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 40/100

Neutral

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

Softness 28/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 70/100

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 25/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 71/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 14/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 19/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 57/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 92/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #172636

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #172636 with

Dark Slate Gray Graphite Bistre 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 15.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #C7D3E0 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #171C36 — 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 #172636 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: #172636;
  --color-base-rgb: 23 38 54;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(26.3% 0.036 250.9);
  --color-50: #F4F7FB;
  --color-100: #E2EAF3;
  --color-200: #C6D6E6;
  --color-300: #9EB7D1;
  --color-400: #7898BA;
  --color-500: #57799E;
  --color-600: #48607A;
  --color-700: #374758;
  --color-800: #27303A;
  --color-900: #191E24;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F4F7FB',
    100: '#E2EAF3',
    200: '#C6D6E6',
    300: '#9EB7D1',
    400: '#7898BA',
    500: '#57799E',
    600: '#48607A',
    700: '#374758',
    800: '#27303A',
    900: '#191E24',
  },
}

$base: #172636;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F4F7FB;
$base-100: #E2EAF3;
$base-200: #C6D6E6;
$base-300: #9EB7D1;
$base-400: #7898BA;
$base-500: #57799E;
$base-600: #48607A;
$base-700: #374758;
$base-800: #27303A;
$base-900: #191E24;
$base-hover: #121E2B;
$base-subtle: #AABDD2;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#172636",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F7FB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E2EAF3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C6D6E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9EB7D1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7898BA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#57799E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#48607A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#374758",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#27303A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191E24",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #172636

Color Lab

Pairs with #172636

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export