What color is #221B21?

#221B21 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(34, 27, 33), and in HSL hsl(309, 11%, 12%).

Is #221B21 accessible as text?

On white, #221B21 has a contrast ratio of 16.84:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.25:1 (fails). For text placed on #221B21, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #221B21?

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

What colors go well with #221B21?

As a neutral, #221B21 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 #221B21 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #221B21 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.

#221B21 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #221B21

Not just a swatch — here's how #221B21 works with other colors. Named schemes with #221B21 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #221B21 Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5D6573 Accent #40393F

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 #221B21 Secondary #7D472E Surface #ECD8C1 Accent #464F38 Anchor #592234

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 #221B21 Surface #F1E8DC Highlight #F7F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 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 #221B21 Surface #F4E6D7 Anchor #5D203D 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 #221B21 Secondary #423F42 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 #221B21 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 26/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 71/100

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 71/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 6/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 12/100

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 #221B21

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #221B21 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 16.8:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D6CFD5 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #221B1F — 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 #221B21 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
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Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #221B21;
  --color-base-rgb: 34 27 33;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.3% 0.016 330.8);
  --color-50: #F8F6F8;
  --color-100: #EDE8EC;
  --color-200: #DBD2D9;
  --color-300: #BFB1BD;
  --color-400: #A2909F;
  --color-500: #847181;
  --color-600: #685A66;
  --color-700: #4C434B;
  --color-800: #332E32;
  --color-900: #201D20;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F8F6F8',
    100: '#EDE8EC',
    200: '#DBD2D9',
    300: '#BFB1BD',
    400: '#A2909F',
    500: '#847181',
    600: '#685A66',
    700: '#4C434B',
    800: '#332E32',
    900: '#201D20',
  },
}

$base: #221B21;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F8F6F8;
$base-100: #EDE8EC;
$base-200: #DBD2D9;
$base-300: #BFB1BD;
$base-400: #A2909F;
$base-500: #847181;
$base-600: #685A66;
$base-700: #4C434B;
$base-800: #332E32;
$base-900: #201D20;
$base-hover: #1B161A;
$base-subtle: #C1B6C0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#221B21",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F8F6F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EDE8EC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#DBD2D9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#BFB1BD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#A2909F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#847181",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#685A66",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#4C434B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#332E32",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#201D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #221B21

Color Lab

Pairs with #221B21

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export