What color is #231621?

#231621 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(35, 22, 33), and in HSL hsl(309, 23%, 11%).

Is #231621 accessible as text?

On white, #231621 has a contrast ratio of 17.38:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.21:1 (fails). For text placed on #231621, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #231621?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-900 (#18181B).

What colors go well with #231621?

As a neutral, #231621 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 #231621 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #231621 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.

#231621 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #231621

Not just a swatch — here's how #231621 works with other colors. Named schemes with #231621 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #231621 Secondary #7D472E Surface #ECD8C1 Accent #464F38 Anchor #592233

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 #231621 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.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #231621 Anchor #141210 Accent #D79A52 Secondary #2F252D 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 #231621 Secondary #413C40 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #231621 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.

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Color Lab

How #231621 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 52/100

Neutral

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

Softness 24/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 73/100

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 29/100

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 11/100

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 62/100

High

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

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #231621

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #231621 with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Gainsboro Eggplant

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 17.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D9CAD7 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #23161C — 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 #231621 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #231621;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 22 33;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(22.2% 0.029 332.0);
  --color-50: #F9F5F9;
  --color-100: #F0E6EE;
  --color-200: #E0CDDD;
  --color-300: #C6A9C2;
  --color-400: #AC86A6;
  --color-500: #8F6689;
  --color-600: #6F536B;
  --color-700: #513E4E;
  --color-800: #362B34;
  --color-900: #221B21;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F9F5F9',
    100: '#F0E6EE',
    200: '#E0CDDD',
    300: '#C6A9C2',
    400: '#AC86A6',
    500: '#8F6689',
    600: '#6F536B',
    700: '#513E4E',
    800: '#362B34',
    900: '#221B21',
  },
}

$base: #231621;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F9F5F9;
$base-100: #F0E6EE;
$base-200: #E0CDDD;
$base-300: #C6A9C2;
$base-400: #AC86A6;
$base-500: #8F6689;
$base-600: #6F536B;
$base-700: #513E4E;
$base-800: #362B34;
$base-900: #221B21;
$base-hover: #1C111A;
$base-subtle: #C7AFC3;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#231621",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F9F5F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F0E6EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E0CDDD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#C6A9C2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#AC86A6",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#8F6689",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#6F536B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#513E4E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#362B34",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#221B21",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #231621

Color Lab

Pairs with #231621

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export