What color is #231E09?

#231E09 is a very dark low-chroma warm gray with a subtle warm cast. In RGB it is rgb(35, 30, 9), and in HSL hsl(48, 59%, 9%).

Is #231E09 accessible as text?

On white, #231E09 has a contrast ratio of 16.65:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.26:1 (fails). For text placed on #231E09, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #231E09?

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

What colors go well with #231E09?

As a neutral, #231E09 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 #231E09 the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #231E09 is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) 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.

#231E09 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #231E09

Not just a swatch — here's how #231E09 works with other colors. Named schemes with #231E09 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #231E09 Secondary #784C20 Surface #E8DAC0 Accent #3F503D Anchor #5B2227

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 #231E09 Secondary #B2680F Accent #6F7A48 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3A2A1F

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 #231E09 Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F 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 #231E09 Anchor #141210 Accent #C7A34B Secondary #2C291E 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 #231E09 Secondary #43413A Support #999186 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 #231E09 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 57/100

Neutral

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

Softness 25/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

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

Naturalness 45/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 35/100

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 14/100

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 94/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #231E09

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #231E09 with

Bistre Graphite Jet Black Greige Army Green

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 16.7:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #E4DCBD for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #212409 — 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 #231E09 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: #231E09;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 30 9;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(23.5% 0.035 96.1);
  --color-50: #FCFAF2;
  --color-100: #F7F2DE;
  --color-200: #EEE5BE;
  --color-300: #DECE92;
  --color-400: #CAB668;
  --color-500: #AE9A46;
  --color-600: #86773C;
  --color-700: #5F5630;
  --color-800: #3F3922;
  --color-900: #272317;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#FCFAF2',
    100: '#F7F2DE',
    200: '#EEE5BE',
    300: '#DECE92',
    400: '#CAB668',
    500: '#AE9A46',
    600: '#86773C',
    700: '#5F5630',
    800: '#3F3922',
    900: '#272317',
  },
}

$base: #231E09;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FCFAF2;
$base-100: #F7F2DE;
$base-200: #EEE5BE;
$base-300: #DECE92;
$base-400: #CAB668;
$base-500: #AE9A46;
$base-600: #86773C;
$base-700: #5F5630;
$base-800: #3F3922;
$base-900: #272317;
$base-hover: #1D1908;
$base-subtle: #D9CC9A;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#231E09",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FCFAF2",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F7F2DE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#EEE5BE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#DECE92",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#CAB668",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#AE9A46",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#86773C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#5F5630",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#3F3922",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#272317",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}