What color is #20171E?

#20171E is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(32, 23, 30), and in HSL hsl(313, 16%, 11%).

Is #20171E accessible as text?

On white, #20171E has a contrast ratio of 17.46:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.20:1 (fails). For text placed on #20171E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #20171E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-900 (#18181B).

What colors go well with #20171E?

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

No — #20171E 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.

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

Palettes built on #20171E

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

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #20171E Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5D6573 Accent #3D343B

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 #20171E Secondary #7D472D Surface #ECD8C1 Accent #464F38 Anchor #592233

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 #20171E Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BCADA1 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 #20171E Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5D203C Accent #E6C2C5 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 #20171E Secondary #3F3B3E Support #9C9087 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 #20171E 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 51/100

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 1/100

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 7/100

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 65/100

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 #20171E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #20171E 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 #D7CCD5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #21181C — 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 #20171E 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: #20171E;
  --color-base-rgb: 32 23 30;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(21.9% 0.019 334.1);
  --color-50: #F9F6F8;
  --color-100: #EEE7ED;
  --color-200: #DDD0DA;
  --color-300: #C2ADBD;
  --color-400: #A68CA1;
  --color-500: #886C82;
  --color-600: #6B5767;
  --color-700: #4E414B;
  --color-800: #342D33;
  --color-900: #211C20;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F9F6F8',
    100: '#EEE7ED',
    200: '#DDD0DA',
    300: '#C2ADBD',
    400: '#A68CA1',
    500: '#886C82',
    600: '#6B5767',
    700: '#4E414B',
    800: '#342D33',
    900: '#211C20',
  },
}

$base: #20171E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F6F8;
$base-100: #EEE7ED;
$base-200: #DDD0DA;
$base-300: #C2ADBD;
$base-400: #A68CA1;
$base-500: #886C82;
$base-600: #6B5767;
$base-700: #4E414B;
$base-800: #342D33;
$base-900: #211C20;
$base-hover: #1A1318;
$base-subtle: #C3B3C0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#20171E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F6F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EEE7ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DDD0DA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C2ADBD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A68CA1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#886C82",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6B5767",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4E414B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#342D33",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#211C20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #20171E

Color Lab

Pairs with #20171E

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export