What color is #221516?

#221516 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(34, 21, 22), and in HSL hsl(355, 24%, 11%).

Is #221516 accessible as text?

On white, #221516 has a contrast ratio of 17.69:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.19:1 (fails). For text placed on #221516, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #221516?

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

What colors go well with #221516?

As a neutral, #221516 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 #221516 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #221516 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.

#221516 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #221516

Not just a swatch — here's how #221516 works with other colors. Named schemes with #221516 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #221516 Surface #15161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5E6473 Accent #403233

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 #221516 Secondary #7C4829 Surface #EAD9C1 Accent #444F3A Anchor #5A222F

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 #221516 Surface #F0E8DC Highlight #F7F1E7 Secondary #BBAEA0 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 #221516 Anchor #141210 Accent #D29D4E Secondary #322526 Surface #F3EDE3

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 #221516 Secondary #3F3A3A Support #9B9087 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 #221516 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 55/100

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 20/100

Low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 30/100

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 8/100

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 #221516

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #221516 with

Bistre 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 17.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9CACB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #231915 — 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 #221516 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: #221516;
  --color-base-rgb: 34 21 22;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(21.3% 0.021 13.9);
  --color-50: #F9F5F6;
  --color-100: #F0E5E6;
  --color-200: #E0CCCE;
  --color-300: #C7A8AB;
  --color-400: #AD8588;
  --color-500: #906569;
  --color-600: #705254;
  --color-700: #513E3F;
  --color-800: #362B2C;
  --color-900: #221B1C;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F9F5F6',
    100: '#F0E5E6',
    200: '#E0CCCE',
    300: '#C7A8AB',
    400: '#AD8588',
    500: '#906569',
    600: '#705254',
    700: '#513E3F',
    800: '#362B2C',
    900: '#221B1C',
  },
}

$base: #221516;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F5F6;
$base-100: #F0E5E6;
$base-200: #E0CCCE;
$base-300: #C7A8AB;
$base-400: #AD8588;
$base-500: #906569;
$base-600: #705254;
$base-700: #513E3F;
$base-800: #362B2C;
$base-900: #221B1C;
$base-hover: #1C1112;
$base-subtle: #C7AEB1;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#221516",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F5F6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F0E5E6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E0CCCE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C7A8AB",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#AD8588",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#906569",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#705254",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#513E3F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#362B2C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#221B1C",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #221516

Color Lab

Pairs with #221516

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export