What color is #212516?

#212516 is a very dark low-chroma cool gray with a subtle cool cast. In RGB it is rgb(33, 37, 22), and in HSL hsl(76, 25%, 12%).

Is #212516 accessible as text?

On white, #212516 has a contrast ratio of 15.66:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.34:1 (fails). For text placed on #212516, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #212516?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is neutral-800 (#262626).

What colors go well with #212516?

As a neutral, #212516 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 #212516 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #212516 is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) 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.

#212516 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #212516

Not just a swatch — here's how #212516 works with other colors. Named schemes with #212516 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Botanical Studio Lead · 5 colors

Lead #212516 Secondary #506B38 Accent #B06A03 Surface #EFE9D6 Anchor #3D2F21

Graphite leads this botanical set among foliage greens and a terracotta accent, softened by cream and grounded in bark brown.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #212516 Secondary #774D1E Surface #E7DBC0 Accent #3E513E Anchor #5B2324

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 #212516 Surface #EEE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B7B09F 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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #212516 Anchor #141210 Accent #C4A54B Secondary #272A1F Surface #F2EDE3

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 #F7F4EF Accent #212516 Secondary #464742 Support #999186 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 #212516 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 53/100

Neutral

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

Softness 28/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 70/100

High

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

Naturalness 39/100

Low

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 71/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 11/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 16/100

Very low

Weak as an action color — too pale, too dark or too muted to signal.

Surface fit 60/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #212516

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #212516 with

Espresso Graphite Platinum Army Green

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 15.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D6DACA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #1D2617 — 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 #212516 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: #212516;
  --color-base-rgb: 33 37 22;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(25.6% 0.027 120.5);
  --color-50: #F8F9F5;
  --color-100: #EDF0E5;
  --color-200: #DBE0CC;
  --color-300: #BFC8A7;
  --color-400: #A3AE84;
  --color-500: #859064;
  --color-600: #687051;
  --color-700: #4C513D;
  --color-800: #33362A;
  --color-900: #20221B;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F8F9F5',
    100: '#EDF0E5',
    200: '#DBE0CC',
    300: '#BFC8A7',
    400: '#A3AE84',
    500: '#859064',
    600: '#687051',
    700: '#4C513D',
    800: '#33362A',
    900: '#20221B',
  },
}

$base: #212516;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F9F5;
$base-100: #EDF0E5;
$base-200: #DBE0CC;
$base-300: #BFC8A7;
$base-400: #A3AE84;
$base-500: #859064;
$base-600: #687051;
$base-700: #4C513D;
$base-800: #33362A;
$base-900: #20221B;
$base-hover: #1B1F12;
$base-subtle: #C2C8AF;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#212516",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F9F5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EDF0E5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DBE0CC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BFC8A7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A3AE84",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#859064",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#687051",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4C513D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#33362A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#20221B",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #212516

Color Lab

Pairs with #212516

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export