What color is #231B31?

#231B31 is a very dark, muted violet. In RGB it is rgb(35, 27, 49), and in HSL hsl(262, 29%, 15%).

Is #231B31 accessible as text?

On white, #231B31 has a contrast ratio of 16.50:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.27:1 (fails). For text placed on #231B31, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #231B31?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is mauve-800 (#2A212C).

What colors go well with #231B31?

#231B31 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #29311B. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #231B31 below.

Is #231B31 good for buttons?

#231B31 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #231B31 — black text only reaches 1.27:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #231B31 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #231B31 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.

#231B31 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #231B31

Not just a swatch — here's how #231B31 works with other colors. Named schemes with #231B31 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #231B31 Secondary #7E4631 Surface #EDD8C1 Accent #355248 Anchor #592237

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 #231B31 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BDADA1 Ink #2C2724

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 #231B31 Anchor #141210 Accent #DA9856 Secondary #2A2731 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 #231B31 Secondary #44414A 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 #231B31 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 #231B31 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 46/100

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 30/100

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 16/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 16/100

Very low

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

Surface fit 56/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 95/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #231B31

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #231B31 with

Gunmetal Gray Russian Violet Sacramento Green 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 16.5:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D1CBDD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2B1B31 — 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 #231B31 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

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Export

:root {
  --color-base: #231B31;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 27 49;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(24.3% 0.042 300.0);
  --color-50: #F7F5FA;
  --color-100: #E9E4F1;
  --color-200: #D3CAE2;
  --color-300: #B3A5CA;
  --color-400: #9381B1;
  --color-500: #746194;
  --color-600: #5C4F73;
  --color-700: #443C53;
  --color-800: #2F2937;
  --color-900: #1E1B23;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F7F5FA',
    100: '#E9E4F1',
    200: '#D3CAE2',
    300: '#B3A5CA',
    400: '#9381B1',
    500: '#746194',
    600: '#5C4F73',
    700: '#443C53',
    800: '#2F2937',
    900: '#1E1B23',
  },
}

$base: #231B31;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F7F5FA;
$base-100: #E9E4F1;
$base-200: #D3CAE2;
$base-300: #B3A5CA;
$base-400: #9381B1;
$base-500: #746194;
$base-600: #5C4F73;
$base-700: #443C53;
$base-800: #2F2937;
$base-900: #1E1B23;
$base-hover: #1C1627;
$base-subtle: #BAB0CC;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#231B31",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F7F5FA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E9E4F1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D3CAE2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#B3A5CA",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#9381B1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#746194",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#5C4F73",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#443C53",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2F2937",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1E1B23",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #231B31

Color Lab

Pairs with #231B31

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export