#21171A is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads clean and engineered, quietly premium. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #21171A works with other colors. Named schemes with #21171A 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 sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.
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 #21171A 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 #21171A at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #21171A;
--color-base-rgb: 33 23 26;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(21.8% 0.017 358.8);
--color-50: #F9F6F7;
--color-100: #EEE7E9;
--color-200: #DECFD3;
--color-300: #C3ACB3;
--color-400: #A88A93;
--color-500: #8A6B74;
--color-600: #6C565C;
--color-700: #4F4044;
--color-800: #352C2F;
--color-900: #211C1E;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
graphite: {
50: '#F9F6F7',
100: '#EEE7E9',
200: '#DECFD3',
300: '#C3ACB3',
400: '#A88A93',
500: '#8A6B74',
600: '#6C565C',
700: '#4F4044',
800: '#352C2F',
900: '#211C1E',
},
}
$base: #21171A; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F9F6F7; $base-100: #EEE7E9; $base-200: #DECFD3; $base-300: #C3ACB3; $base-400: #A88A93; $base-500: #8A6B74; $base-600: #6C565C; $base-700: #4F4044; $base-800: #352C2F; $base-900: #211C1E; $base-hover: #1A1215; $base-subtle: #C4B2B7;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#21171A",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F9F6F7",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#EEE7E9",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#DECFD3",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#C3ACB3",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A88A93",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#8A6B74",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#6C565C",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4F4044",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#352C2F",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#211C1E",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}