#231814 is a near-black neutral with only a whisper of temperate cast. On the Color Lab it reads quietly premium, restrained and easy to live with. It holds up as a large surface and is too dark to lead as a primary accent.
Not just a swatch — here's how #231814 works with other colors. Named schemes with #231814 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
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.
This palette keeps Graphite as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.
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.
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.
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.
How #231814 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.
Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #231814 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #231814;
--color-base-rgb: 35 24 20;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(22.2% 0.019 40.9);
--color-50: #FAF6F5;
--color-100: #F0E8E5;
--color-200: #E1D1CB;
--color-300: #C9AFA6;
--color-400: #AF8F83;
--color-500: #926F63;
--color-600: #725950;
--color-700: #52423D;
--color-800: #372D2A;
--color-900: #221D1B;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
graphite: {
50: '#FAF6F5',
100: '#F0E8E5',
200: '#E1D1CB',
300: '#C9AFA6',
400: '#AF8F83',
500: '#926F63',
600: '#725950',
700: '#52423D',
800: '#372D2A',
900: '#221D1B',
},
}
$base: #231814; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #FAF6F5; $base-100: #F0E8E5; $base-200: #E1D1CB; $base-300: #C9AFA6; $base-400: #AF8F83; $base-500: #926F63; $base-600: #725950; $base-700: #52423D; $base-800: #372D2A; $base-900: #221D1B; $base-hover: #1C1410; $base-subtle: #C9B4AD;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#231814",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#FAF6F5",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#F0E8E5",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#E1D1CB",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#C9AFA6",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#AF8F83",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#926F63",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#725950",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#52423D",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#372D2A",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#221D1B",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}