What color is #1C1C16?

#1C1C16 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(28, 28, 22), and in HSL hsl(60, 12%, 10%).

Is #1C1C16 accessible as text?

On white, #1C1C16 has a contrast ratio of 17.11:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.23:1 (fails). For text placed on #1C1C16, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #1C1C16?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is stone-900 (#1C1917).

What colors go well with #1C1C16?

As a neutral, #1C1C16 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 #1C1C16 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #1C1C16 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.

#1C1C16 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #1C1C16

Not just a swatch — here's how #1C1C16 works with other colors. Named schemes with #1C1C16 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #1C1C16 Secondary #526A37 Accent #B16909 Surface #F0E9D6 Anchor #3D2F21

Graphite leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #1C1C16 Surface #13161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #576770 Accent #393933

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 #1C1C16 Secondary #774C1F Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3E513E Anchor #5B2226

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 #1C1C16 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F 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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #1C1C16 Secondary #3E3E3C Support #999186 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 #1C1C16 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 52/100

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 19/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 27/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 4/100

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 67/100

High

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

Print safety 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #1C1C16

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #1C1C16 with

Bistre Graphite Platinum 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 17.1:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D5D5CD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1B1D16 — 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 #1C1C16 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: #1C1C16;
  --color-base-rgb: 28 28 22;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(22.4% 0.011 107.3);
  --color-50: #F8F8F6;
  --color-100: #EDEDE8;
  --color-200: #DBDBD1;
  --color-300: #BFBFB0;
  --color-400: #A3A38F;
  --color-500: #858570;
  --color-600: #686859;
  --color-700: #4C4C43;
  --color-800: #33332E;
  --color-900: #20201D;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F8F8F6',
    100: '#EDEDE8',
    200: '#DBDBD1',
    300: '#BFBFB0',
    400: '#A3A38F',
    500: '#858570',
    600: '#686859',
    700: '#4C4C43',
    800: '#33332E',
    900: '#20201D',
  },
}

$base: #1C1C16;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F8F6;
$base-100: #EDEDE8;
$base-200: #DBDBD1;
$base-300: #BFBFB0;
$base-400: #A3A38F;
$base-500: #858570;
$base-600: #686859;
$base-700: #4C4C43;
$base-800: #33332E;
$base-900: #20201D;
$base-hover: #171712;
$base-subtle: #C0C0B4;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#1C1C16",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F8F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EDEDE8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DBDBD1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BFBFB0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A3A38F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#858570",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#686859",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4C4C43",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#33332E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#20201D",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #1C1C16

Color Lab

Pairs with #1C1C16

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export