What color is #231609?

#231609 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(35, 22, 9), and in HSL hsl(30, 59%, 9%).

Is #231609 accessible as text?

On white, #231609 has a contrast ratio of 17.64:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.19:1 (fails). For text placed on #231609, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #231609?

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

What colors go well with #231609?

As a neutral, #231609 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 #231609 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #231609 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.

#231609 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #231609

Not just a swatch — here's how #231609 works with other colors. Named schemes with #231609 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #231609 Secondary #7A4A23 Surface #E9DAC0 Accent #41503C Anchor #5B222A

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.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #231609 Secondary #B4661A Accent #737945 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3B2A20

This palette keeps Graphite as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #231609 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #BAAF9F 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 #231609 Anchor #141210 Accent #CCA14C Secondary #30271F 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 #231609 Secondary #403A36 Support #9A9186 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 #231609 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 59/100

Neutral

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

Softness 23/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 74/100

High

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

Naturalness 42/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 34/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 74/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 12/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 11/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 62/100

High

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

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #231609

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #231609 with

Oxblood Graphite Greige 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 17.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E4D1BD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #242009 — 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 #231609 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: #231609;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 22 9;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(21.4% 0.031 64.9);
  --color-50: #FCF7F2;
  --color-100: #F7EBDE;
  --color-200: #EED6BE;
  --color-300: #DEB892;
  --color-400: #CA9968;
  --color-500: #AE7A46;
  --color-600: #86613C;
  --color-700: #5F4730;
  --color-800: #3F3022;
  --color-900: #271F17;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FCF7F2',
    100: '#F7EBDE',
    200: '#EED6BE',
    300: '#DEB892',
    400: '#CA9968',
    500: '#AE7A46',
    600: '#86613C',
    700: '#5F4730',
    800: '#3F3022',
    900: '#271F17',
  },
}

$base: #231609;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FCF7F2;
$base-100: #F7EBDE;
$base-200: #EED6BE;
$base-300: #DEB892;
$base-400: #CA9968;
$base-500: #AE7A46;
$base-600: #86613C;
$base-700: #5F4730;
$base-800: #3F3022;
$base-900: #271F17;
$base-hover: #1D1208;
$base-subtle: #D9B99A;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#231609",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FCF7F2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F7EBDE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#EED6BE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#DEB892",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#CA9968",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#AE7A46",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#86613C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#5F4730",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#3F3022",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#271F17",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #231609

Color Lab

Pairs with #231609

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export