#271B16 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 #271B16 works with other colors. Named schemes with #271B16 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.
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.
This palette keeps Graphite as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.
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 #271B16 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 #271B16 at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.
:root {
--color-base: #271B16;
--color-base-rgb: 39 27 22;
--color-base-oklch: oklch(23.5% 0.021 43.7);
--color-50: #FAF6F5;
--color-100: #F1E8E5;
--color-200: #E2D2CB;
--color-300: #CAB0A6;
--color-400: #B09082;
--color-500: #937162;
--color-600: #725A4F;
--color-700: #53433C;
--color-800: #372E2A;
--color-900: #221D1B;
--color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}
// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
graphite: {
50: '#FAF6F5',
100: '#F1E8E5',
200: '#E2D2CB',
300: '#CAB0A6',
400: '#B09082',
500: '#937162',
600: '#725A4F',
700: '#53433C',
800: '#372E2A',
900: '#221D1B',
},
}
$base: #271B16; $base-ink: #FFFFFF; $base-50: #FAF6F5; $base-100: #F1E8E5; $base-200: #E2D2CB; $base-300: #CAB0A6; $base-400: #B09082; $base-500: #937162; $base-600: #725A4F; $base-700: #53433C; $base-800: #372E2A; $base-900: #221D1B; $base-hover: #1F1612; $base-subtle: #CAB6AD;
{
"color": {
"base": {
"value": "#271B16",
"type": "color"
},
"onBase": {
"value": "#FFFFFF",
"type": "color"
},
"scale": {
"50": {
"value": "#FAF6F5",
"type": "color"
},
"100": {
"value": "#F1E8E5",
"type": "color"
},
"200": {
"value": "#E2D2CB",
"type": "color"
},
"300": {
"value": "#CAB0A6",
"type": "color"
},
"400": {
"value": "#B09082",
"type": "color"
},
"500": {
"value": "#937162",
"type": "color"
},
"600": {
"value": "#725A4F",
"type": "color"
},
"700": {
"value": "#53433C",
"type": "color"
},
"800": {
"value": "#372E2A",
"type": "color"
},
"900": {
"value": "#221D1B",
"type": "color"
}
}
}
}