What color is #252136?

#252136 is a very dark, muted indigo. In RGB it is rgb(37, 33, 54), and in HSL hsl(251, 24%, 17%).

Is #252136 accessible as text?

On white, #252136 has a contrast ratio of 15.56:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.35:1 (fails). For text placed on #252136, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #252136?

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

What colors go well with #252136?

#252136 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #323621. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #252136 below.

Is #252136 good for buttons?

#252136 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #252136 — black text only reaches 1.35:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #252136 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #252136 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#252136 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #252136

Not just a swatch — here's how #252136 works with other colors. Named schemes with #252136 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #252136 Secondary #7E4632 Surface #EDD8C2 Accent #355248 Anchor #582237

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 #252136 Surface #F2E8DD Highlight #F8F0E7 Secondary #BEADA1 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 #252136 Anchor #141210 Accent #DA9856 Secondary #292732 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 #252136 Secondary #48474F 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.

Berry & Cream Lead · 5 colors

Lead #252136 Surface #F5E5D7 Anchor #5C2141 Accent #E5C2C8 Secondary #332B2F

Graphite sits between cream and a deep berry here, softened by a blush accent and grounded by charcoal.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #252136 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 45/100

Neutral

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

Softness 28/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 70/100

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 29/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 71/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 15/100

Very low

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

UI accent fit 19/100

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 #252136

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #252136 with

Charcoal Russian Violet Bistre Gainsboro Gunmetal Gray

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 15.6:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #D0CDDC for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #2C2136 — 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 #252136 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: #252136;
  --color-base-rgb: 37 33 54;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(26.2% 0.039 292.2);
  --color-50: #F6F5F9;
  --color-100: #E7E5F0;
  --color-200: #D0CCE0;
  --color-300: #AEA8C7;
  --color-400: #8C85AD;
  --color-500: #6D6590;
  --color-600: #575270;
  --color-700: #413E51;
  --color-800: #2D2B36;
  --color-900: #1D1B22;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  graphite: {
    50: '#F6F5F9',
    100: '#E7E5F0',
    200: '#D0CCE0',
    300: '#AEA8C7',
    400: '#8C85AD',
    500: '#6D6590',
    600: '#575270',
    700: '#413E51',
    800: '#2D2B36',
    900: '#1D1B22',
  },
}

$base: #252136;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F6F5F9;
$base-100: #E7E5F0;
$base-200: #D0CCE0;
$base-300: #AEA8C7;
$base-400: #8C85AD;
$base-500: #6D6590;
$base-600: #575270;
$base-700: #413E51;
$base-800: #2D2B36;
$base-900: #1D1B22;
$base-hover: #1D1A2B;
$base-subtle: #B8B4CB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#252136",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F6F5F9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E7E5F0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#D0CCE0",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#AEA8C7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#8C85AD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#6D6590",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#575270",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#413E51",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#2D2B36",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#1D1B22",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #252136

Color Lab

Pairs with #252136

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export