What color is #231B2D?

#231B2D is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(35, 27, 45), and in HSL hsl(267, 25%, 14%).

Is #231B2D accessible as text?

On white, #231B2D has a contrast ratio of 16.59:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.27:1 (fails). For text placed on #231B2D, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #231B2D?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is gray-900 (#101828).

What colors go well with #231B2D?

As a neutral, #231B2D 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 #231B2D the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #231B2D 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.

#231B2D Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #231B2D

Not just a swatch — here's how #231B2D works with other colors. Named schemes with #231B2D in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #231B2D Secondary #7E4631 Surface #EDD8C1 Accent #355248 Anchor #592236

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 #231B2D Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2723

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 #231B2D Anchor #141210 Accent #D99855 Secondary #2B2731 Surface #F3ECE3

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 #F8F4EF Accent #231B2D Secondary #444148 Support #9C9088 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 #231B2D Surface #F5E6D7 Anchor #5C2140 Accent #E5C2C7 Secondary #332B2F

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 #231B2D 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 47/100

Neutral

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

Softness 26/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

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

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 28/100

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 14/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 15/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 59/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 96/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #231B2D

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #231B2D with

Gunmetal Gray Graphite Bistre Gainsboro Onyx

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 16.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D2CBDB for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #291B2D — 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 #231B2D at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

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$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

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NIGHT
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Packaging

BLOOM

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250 ml

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #231B2D;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 27 45;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.0% 0.035 304.2);
  --color-50: #F7F5F9;
  --color-100: #EAE5F0;
  --color-200: #D5CCE0;
  --color-300: #B6A7C8;
  --color-400: #9784AE;
  --color-500: #786490;
  --color-600: #5F5170;
  --color-700: #463D51;
  --color-800: #302A36;
  --color-900: #1E1B22;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F7F5F9',
    100: '#EAE5F0',
    200: '#D5CCE0',
    300: '#B6A7C8',
    400: '#9784AE',
    500: '#786490',
    600: '#5F5170',
    700: '#463D51',
    800: '#302A36',
    900: '#1E1B22',
  },
}

$base: #231B2D;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F5F9;
$base-100: #EAE5F0;
$base-200: #D5CCE0;
$base-300: #B6A7C8;
$base-400: #9784AE;
$base-500: #786490;
$base-600: #5F5170;
$base-700: #463D51;
$base-800: #302A36;
$base-900: #1E1B22;
$base-hover: #1C1524;
$base-subtle: #BCB1CA;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#231B2D",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F5F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#EAE5F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D5CCE0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B6A7C8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9784AE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#786490",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5F5170",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#463D51",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#302A36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1E1B22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #231B2D

Color Lab

Pairs with #231B2D

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export