#201616 is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads quietly premium, restrained and easy to live with. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #201616 works with other colors. Named schemes with #201616 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
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.
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.
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.
Graphite carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.
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.
How #201616 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.
Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #201616 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #201616;
--color-base-rgb: 32 22 22;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(21.3% 0.016 18.5);
--color-50: #F9F6F6;
--color-100: #EFE7E7;
--color-200: #DECECE;
--color-300: #C4ABAB;
--color-400: #A98989;
--color-500: #8B6A6A;
--color-600: #6D5555;
--color-700: #4F4040;
--color-800: #352C2C;
--color-900: #211C1C;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
graphite: {
50: '#F9F6F6',
100: '#EFE7E7',
200: '#DECECE',
300: '#C4ABAB',
400: '#A98989',
500: '#8B6A6A',
600: '#6D5555',
700: '#4F4040',
800: '#352C2C',
900: '#211C1C',
},
}
$base: #201616; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F9F6F6; $base-100: #EFE7E7; $base-200: #DECECE; $base-300: #C4ABAB; $base-400: #A98989; $base-500: #8B6A6A; $base-600: #6D5555; $base-700: #4F4040; $base-800: #352C2C; $base-900: #211C1C; $base-hover: #1B1212; $base-subtle: #C5B1B1;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#201616",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F9F6F6",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#EFE7E7",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#DECECE",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#C4ABAB",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A98989",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#8B6A6A",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#6D5555",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4F4040",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#352C2C",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#211C1C",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}