Black #000000
Black is a very dark close to neutral grey with hex code #000000 and RGB rgb(0, 0, 0).
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White text reads best on this color (21.00:1).
About this color
#000000 is a very dark close to neutral grey. In OKLCH its lightness is 0%, its chroma 0.000. It has too little chroma to lean warm or cool. It is the named color Black. White text reads best on it, at 21.00:1.
| Hue family | Neutrals |
| Lightness | very dark (0%) |
| Chroma | close to neutral grey (0.000) |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Nearest name | Black |
| Black text | 1.00:1 |
| White text | 21.00:1 |
Colors that go with Black
Matches found by rotating Black around the OKLCH hue wheel, each labelled with the closest name in our list.
Black is close to neutral, so it has no hue to rotate. It pairs with almost any color; try the palettes below.
Color palettes with Black
Curated color palettes that contain a color within ΔE 0.06 (OKLab) of Black, closest first.
No curated palette has a color within ΔE 0.06 of Black yet.
Similar named colors
The eight named colors closest to Black, with their ΔE distance.
- Almost Black #070D0D ΔE 0.153
- Very Dark Brown #1D0200 ΔE 0.160
- Midnight #03012D ΔE 0.167
- Dark Navy Blue #00022E ΔE 0.169
- Rich Navy #001219 ΔE 0.172
- Very Dark Blue #000133 ΔE 0.178
- Dark Navy #000435 ΔE 0.186
- Rich Black #0D1B2A ΔE 0.221
More about Black
How to make Black
A starting recipe from common paint colors, found with a spectral paint model (the color mixer’s paint mode). Real pigments vary, so mix a small test batch and adjust.
- 1 part black
Recipe result: #141414, a difference of ΔE 0.191 from Black. Black is more vivid than these paints can mix, so start from a ready-made neutral paint and adjust it.
Codes for Black in every format
| HEX | #000000 |
| RGB | rgb(0, 0, 0) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 0%) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0% 0 0) |
Contrast
WCAG 2 contrast ratios are the conformance target: AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, AAA needs 7:1. APCA Lc values are supplementary guidance from the WCAG 3 drafts.
| Pair | WCAG 2 | Result | APCA | APCA guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White text on #000000 | 21.00:1 | AAA | Lc -107.9 | Preferred for body text |
| Black text on #000000 | 1.00:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
| #000000 text on white | 21.00:1 | AAA | Lc 106.0 | Preferred for body text |
| #000000 text on black | 1.00:1 | Fails | Lc 0.0 | Not readable |
Shades and tints of Black
A 50–950 scale built in OKLCH: the hue is held, lightness follows a Tailwind v4-like curve, and every step is kept inside the sRGB gamut. This color sits at step 950.
-
Step 50
50
#F5F5F5
oklch(97% 0 0)
-
Step 100
100
#EAEAEA
oklch(93.7% 0 0)
-
Step 200
200
#D9D9D9
oklch(88.5% 0 0)
-
Step 300
300
#C0C0C0
oklch(80.8% 0 0)
-
Step 400
400
#A0A0A0
oklch(70.6% 0 0)
-
Step 500
500
#898989
oklch(63% 0 0)
-
Step 600
600
#737373
oklch(55.6% 0 0)
-
Step 700
700
#616161
oklch(49.3% 0 0)
-
Step 800
800
#4F4F4F
oklch(42.8% 0 0)
-
Step 900
900
#414141
oklch(37.5% 0 0)
-
Step 950
950 (this color)
#000000
oklch(0% 0 0)
Black with color blindness
Simulated with the Machado et al. (2009) model. ΔE is how far the color moves: below about 0.02 you would not notice a change.
| Vision | Seen as | Shift (ΔE) |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia (no red cones) | #000000 | 0.000 |
| Deuteranopia (no green cones) | #000000 | 0.000 |
| Tritanopia (no blue cones) | #000000 | 0.000 |
| Achromatopsia (no color) | #000000 | 0.000 |
Use Black in your product
Turn it into light and dark UI roles checked for contrast, then export to Tailwind v4, shadcn/ui, CSS or design tokens.