What color is #20172E?

#20172E is a very dark, muted violet. In RGB it is rgb(32, 23, 46), and in HSL hsl(263, 33%, 14%).

Is #20172E accessible as text?

On white, #20172E has a contrast ratio of 17.16:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.22:1 (fails). For text placed on #20172E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #20172E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-900 (#1D161E).

What colors go well with #20172E?

#20172E pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #262F18. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #20172E below.

Is #20172E good for buttons?

#20172E works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #20172E — black text only reaches 1.22:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #20172E the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #20172E 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.

#20172E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #20172E

Not just a swatch — here's how #20172E works with other colors. Named schemes with #20172E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #20172E Secondary #7E4631 Surface #EDD8C1 Accent #355248 Anchor #592236

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 #20172E Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2724

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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #20172E Anchor #141210 Accent #DA9855 Secondary #2A2731 Surface #F3ECE3

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.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #20172E Secondary #403D46 Support #9C9088 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #20172E Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C2140 Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

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

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #20172E 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 46/100

Neutral

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

Softness 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 74/100

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 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 75/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 17/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 14/100

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 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #20172E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #20172E with

Prussian Blue Graphite Sacramento Green Gainsboro Russian Violet

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 17.2:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D1C9DE for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #29182F — 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 #20172E 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: #20172E;
  --color-base-rgb: 32 23 46;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(22.8% 0.045 300.9);
  --color-50: #F7F5FA;
  --color-100: #E9E3F2;
  --color-200: #D3C9E4;
  --color-300: #B3A2CD;
  --color-400: #937EB4;
  --color-500: #745D97;
  --color-600: #5C4C75;
  --color-700: #443A55;
  --color-800: #2F2938;
  --color-900: #1E1A23;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F7F5FA',
    100: '#E9E3F2',
    200: '#D3C9E4',
    300: '#B3A2CD',
    400: '#937EB4',
    500: '#745D97',
    600: '#5C4C75',
    700: '#443A55',
    800: '#2F2938',
    900: '#1E1A23',
  },
}

$base: #20172E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F5FA;
$base-100: #E9E3F2;
$base-200: #D3C9E4;
$base-300: #B3A2CD;
$base-400: #937EB4;
$base-500: #745D97;
$base-600: #5C4C75;
$base-700: #443A55;
$base-800: #2F2938;
$base-900: #1E1A23;
$base-hover: #1A1326;
$base-subtle: #B9ADCE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#20172E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F5FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9E3F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3C9E4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B3A2CD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#937EB4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#745D97",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5C4C75",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#443A55",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F2938",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1E1A23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #20172E

Color Lab

Pairs with #20172E

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export