Tailwind CSS v4 default palette
Tailwind zinc-950: #09090B
In Tailwind CSS v4, zinc-950 is defined as --color-zinc-950: oklch(14.1% 0.005 285.823), which is #09090B in hex and rgb(9, 9, 11): a near-black with a faint blue tint. In Tailwind v3, zinc-950 was #09090B.
In OKLCH, zinc-950 has a lightness of 14.1%, chroma 0.005 and hue 285.8°.
The value fits inside sRGB, so the hex #09090B represents it without loss on any screen.
In v3, zinc-950 was #09090B. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.1 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
Tailwind zinc is a nearly neutral gray with a faint cool violet cast, sitting between the bluish gray and the hueless neutral.
Color codes for zinc-950
| Tailwind v4 token | --color-zinc-950 |
|---|---|
| OKLCH (source value) | oklch(14.1% 0.005 285.823) |
| HEX | #09090B |
| RGB | rgb(9, 9, 11) |
| HSL | hsl(240, 10%, 4%) |
| HWB | hwb(240 4% 96%) |
| CMYK (naive, no ICC profile) | cmyk(18%, 18%, 0%, 96%) |
| Decimal | 592,139 |
| Tailwind v3 hex | #09090B |
| Utility classes | bg-zinc-950, text-zinc-950, border-zinc-950 |
Tailwind zinc scale
Contrast and accessibility
On zinc-950, white text has a contrast ratio of 19.89:1 and passes AAA at any text size; black text reaches 1.05:1.
WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios (success criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6: AA needs 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1 and 4.5:1). APCA Lc is the lightness contrast from the APCA-W3 0.0.98G model proposed for WCAG 3; a higher absolute value is more readable, and Lc 75 is its suggested minimum for body text.
| Pair | Ratio | AA | AA large | AAA | AAA large | APCA Lc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black text on zinc-950 | 1.05:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 0.0 |
| White text on zinc-950 | 19.89:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | −107.8 |
| Zinc-950 text on white | 19.89:1 | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | 105.9 |
| Zinc-950 text on black | 1.05:1 | Fail | Fail | Fail | Fail | 0.0 |
Tints and shades
Each step mixes var(--color-zinc-950) with white (tints) or black (shades) in gamma-encoded sRGB, the same result as color-mix(in srgb, var(--color-zinc-950), white 25%) in CSS.
Tints (mixed with white)
- 5%
#151517 - 15%
#2e2e30 - 25%
#474748 - 35%
#5f5f60 - 45%
#787879 - 55%
#909091 - 65%
#a9a9aa - 75%
#c2c2c2 - 85%
#dadada - 95%
#f3f3f3
Shades (mixed with black)
- 5%
#09090a - 15%
#080809 - 25%
#070708 - 35%
#060607 - 45%
#050506 - 55%
#040405 - 65%
#030304 - 75%
#020203 - 85%
#010102 - 95%
#000001
Color harmonies
Rotating the hue in OKLCH while keeping lightness and chroma, zinc-950's complementary color is #090907 (close to black), its analogous colors are #08090B and #0A090B, and its triadic partners are #0B0908 and #080A09. For text on top, white gives the higher contrast.
| Harmony | Rotation | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | +180° | #090907 |
| Analogous | −30°, +30° | #08090b#0a090b |
| Triadic | +120°, +240° | #0b0908#080a09 |
| Split-complementary | +150°, +210° | #0a0907#080a08 |
Computed in OKLCH: the hue is rotated by 180° (complementary), ±30° (analogous), ±120° (triadic) and 180° ±30° (split-complementary) while lightness and chroma stay fixed. Results that fall outside sRGB are brought back with the CSS Color 4 gamut mapping algorithm. Because this uses OKLCH, the values differ from tools that rotate hue in HSL, but every color keeps the same perceived lightness.
Warm or cool?
Tailwind zinc-950 is close to neutral: its OKLCH chroma is only 0.005, so its temperature comes from context. The faint 240° hue gives it a slightly cool cast.
Nearest named and Tailwind colors
Distance is ΔE OK, the Euclidean distance in OKLab multiplied by 100. Values under about 2 are hard to tell apart side by side.
Nearest CSS named colors
| Color | HEX | ΔE OK |
|---|---|---|
| black | #000000 | 14.1 |
| midnightblue | #191970 | 20.2 |
| navy | #000080 | 22.5 |
Nearest Tailwind v4 colors
| Color | HEX | ΔE OK |
|---|---|---|
| neutral-950 | #0a0a0a | 0.6 |
| mauve-950 | #0c090c | 0.7 |
| mist-950 | #090b0c | 0.8 |
Code snippets
<div class="bg-zinc-950 text-white">...</div>
<p class="text-zinc-950 border-zinc-950">...</p>.element {
color: var(--color-zinc-950);
background-color: oklch(14.1% 0.005 285.823);
border-color: #09090b;
outline-color: rgb(9 9 11);
}import SwiftUI
extension Color {
static let zinc950 = Color(red: 0.035, green: 0.035, blue: 0.043)
}import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
val Zinc950 = Color(0xFF09090B)import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
const zinc950 = Color(0xFF09090B);<!-- res/values/colors.xml -->
<color name="zinc_950">#09090B</color>Frequently asked questions
- What is the hex code for Tailwind zinc-950?
- In Tailwind CSS v4, zinc-950 is oklch(14.1% 0.005 285.823), which converts to #09090B (rgb(9, 9, 11)) in sRGB. In Tailwind v3 the same name was #09090B.
- What is the difference between zinc-950 in Tailwind v3 and v4?
- v3 used the hex #09090B; v4 redefined the palette in OKLCH as oklch(14.1% 0.005 285.823). In v3, zinc-950 was #09090B. The v4 value is ΔE OK 0.1 away, below the point where most people can tell them apart.
- How do I use zinc-950 in plain CSS?
- Tailwind v4 defines every palette color as a theme variable, so in CSS you write var(--color-zinc-950). By default Tailwind only emits the variables your project uses; @theme static emits all of them.
- Can you use white text on zinc-950?
- White text on zinc-950 has a contrast ratio of 19.89:1, which passes both AA and AAA under WCAG 2.2. Black text reaches 1.05:1 and fails AA even for large text. In APCA terms that is Lc −107.8 for white and Lc 0.0 for black.
- Which CSS named color is closest to zinc-950?
- The closest is black (#000000) at ΔE OK 14.1, followed by midnightblue and navy.
Last reviewed by Arielton Oberek.