What color is #23252E?

#23252E is a very dark low-chroma blue-gray with a subtle blue cast. In RGB it is rgb(35, 37, 46), and in HSL hsl(229, 14%, 16%).

Is #23252E accessible as text?

On white, #23252E has a contrast ratio of 15.27:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.38:1 (fails). For text placed on #23252E, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #23252E?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is zinc-800 (#27272A).

What colors go well with #23252E?

As a neutral, #23252E 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 #23252E the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #23252E 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.

#23252E Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #23252E

Not just a swatch — here's how #23252E works with other colors. Named schemes with #23252E in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Tech Product Signal · 5 colors

Signal #23252E Surface #14161A Highlight #F4F6F8 Secondary #5B6672 Accent #41444C

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.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #23252E Secondary #7F4534 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365247 Anchor #582239

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 #23252E Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA2 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 #23252E Anchor #141210 Accent #DC9659 Secondary #262833 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 #23252E Secondary #48494D Support #9D9088 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.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #23252E 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 29/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 68/100

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 23/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 69/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 7/100

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 63/100

High

Calm enough for large fills — backgrounds, cards, sections.

Print safety 97/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #23252E

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #23252E with

Charcoal Graphite Bistre Gainsboro

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 15.3:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D0D1D8 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #25232F — 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 #23252E at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

Northwind Sign up

Build faster.

A working theme, generated in seconds.

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: #23252E;
  --color-base-rgb: 35 37 46;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(26.6% 0.017 275.3);
  --color-50: #F6F7F9;
  --color-100: #E8E9EE;
  --color-200: #D1D3DC;
  --color-300: #AFB2C1;
  --color-400: #8D92A5;
  --color-500: #6E7387;
  --color-600: #585B6A;
  --color-700: #42444D;
  --color-800: #2D2E34;
  --color-900: #1D1D20;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F7F9',
    100: '#E8E9EE',
    200: '#D1D3DC',
    300: '#AFB2C1',
    400: '#8D92A5',
    500: '#6E7387',
    600: '#585B6A',
    700: '#42444D',
    800: '#2D2E34',
    900: '#1D1D20',
  },
}

$base: #23252E;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F7F9;
$base-100: #E8E9EE;
$base-200: #D1D3DC;
$base-300: #AFB2C1;
$base-400: #8D92A5;
$base-500: #6E7387;
$base-600: #585B6A;
$base-700: #42444D;
$base-800: #2D2E34;
$base-900: #1D1D20;
$base-hover: #1C1E25;
$base-subtle: #B8BAC6;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#23252E",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F7F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E8E9EE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D1D3DC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AFB2C1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8D92A5",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6E7387",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#585B6A",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#42444D",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2D2E34",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1D20",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #23252E

Color Lab

Pairs with #23252E

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export