#23211B 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 #23211B works with other colors. Named schemes with #23211B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
Graphite is the vivid signal in this product UI — on a near-black surface with cool white, a slate grey and a lighter tint of Graphite.
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.
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 #23211B 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 #23211B at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #23211B;
--color-base-rgb: 35 33 27;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(24.8% 0.011 91.7);
--color-50: #F8F8F6;
--color-100: #EDECE8;
--color-200: #DBD9D1;
--color-300: #C0BCAF;
--color-400: #A49E8E;
--color-500: #86806F;
--color-600: #696559;
--color-700: #4D4A42;
--color-800: #34322D;
--color-900: #201F1D;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
graphite: {
50: '#F8F8F6',
100: '#EDECE8',
200: '#DBD9D1',
300: '#C0BCAF',
400: '#A49E8E',
500: '#86806F',
600: '#696559',
700: '#4D4A42',
800: '#34322D',
900: '#201F1D',
},
}
$base: #23211B; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #F8F8F6; $base-100: #EDECE8; $base-200: #DBD9D1; $base-300: #C0BCAF; $base-400: #A49E8E; $base-500: #86806F; $base-600: #696559; $base-700: #4D4A42; $base-800: #34322D; $base-900: #201F1D; $base-hover: #1C1A15; $base-subtle: #C2BFB5;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#23211B",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#F8F8F6",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#EDECE8",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#DBD9D1",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#C0BCAF",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#A49E8E",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#86806F",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#696559",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#4D4A42",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#34322D",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#201F1D",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}