What color is #20171B?

#20171B is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(32, 23, 27), and in HSL hsl(333, 16%, 11%).

Is #20171B accessible as text?

On white, #20171B has a contrast ratio of 17.50:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.20:1 (fails). For text placed on #20171B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #20171B?

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

What colors go well with #20171B?

As a neutral, #20171B 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 #20171B the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #20171B 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.

#20171B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #20171B

Not just a swatch — here's how #20171B works with other colors. Named schemes with #20171B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #20171B Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5D6573 Accent #3D3438

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 #20171B Secondary #7D472C Surface #EBD9C1 Accent #454F39 Anchor #5A2232

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 #20171B Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BCAEA0 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #20171B Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5E203B Accent #E6C2C4 Secondary #332B2E

Graphite sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #20171B Secondary #3F3B3D Support #9C9087 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.

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Color Lab

How #20171B 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 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 5/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 27/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 73/100

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 10/100

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 98/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #20171B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #20171B with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Gainsboro Taupe

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 17.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D7CCD1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #211819 — 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 #20171B 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: #20171B;
  --color-base-rgb: 32 23 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(21.7% 0.016 350.1);
  --color-50: #F9F6F7;
  --color-100: #EEE7EA;
  --color-200: #DDD0D6;
  --color-300: #C2ADB7;
  --color-400: #A68C98;
  --color-500: #886C79;
  --color-600: #6B5760;
  --color-700: #4E4147;
  --color-800: #342D30;
  --color-900: #211C1E;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F9F6F7',
    100: '#EEE7EA',
    200: '#DDD0D6',
    300: '#C2ADB7',
    400: '#A68C98',
    500: '#886C79',
    600: '#6B5760',
    700: '#4E4147',
    800: '#342D30',
    900: '#211C1E',
  },
}

$base: #20171B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F6F7;
$base-100: #EEE7EA;
$base-200: #DDD0D6;
$base-300: #C2ADB7;
$base-400: #A68C98;
$base-500: #886C79;
$base-600: #6B5760;
$base-700: #4E4147;
$base-800: #342D30;
$base-900: #211C1E;
$base-hover: #1A1316;
$base-subtle: #C3B3BA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#20171B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EEE7EA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DDD0D6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C2ADB7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A68C98",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#886C79",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6B5760",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4E4147",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#342D30",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211C1E",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #20171B

Color Lab

Pairs with #20171B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export