White text 21.0:1
Pure black is just one of many near-blacks designers use.
This page lists 25 named shades of black - Jet, Onyx, Eerie Black, Licorice and more - with HEX, RGB, HSL and CMYK codes.
Off-blacks with a slight tint often look richer on screen than #000000. Compare them below.
Dark Lava - lightest25 shades sorted light to darkdarkest - Black
Download all 25 shades of black
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, AffinityA Tailwind-style scale built from Black (#000000), evenly spaced in OKLCH lightness. Paste any other black to build its own scale, or click a swatch for its codes and contrast.
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Hmm, that doesn't look like a color yet. Try #3399cc, rgb(51, 153, 204), hsl(200, 60%, 50%) or a name like Cobalt.
#000000rgb(0, 0, 0)hsl(0, 0%, 0%)cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 100%)Tints mixed with white
Shades mixed with black
Tones mixed with gray
Click any swatch to see its codes and contrast. Tints, shades and tones are simple RGB mixes, the classic way painters and print designers make them.
:root {
--brand-50: #f7f7f7;
--brand-100: #e4e4e4;
--brand-200: #cbcbcb;
--brand-300: #ababab;
--brand-400: #838383;
--brand-500: #626262;
--brand-600: #444444;
--brand-700: #2b2b2b;
--brand-800: #161616;
--brand-900: #060606;
--brand-950: #000000;
}Next: blend 50 into 950 in the Gradient Generator, test every pair in the Accessible Color Palette, check 900 on 100 with the Contrast Checker or find matching colors on the Color Wheel.
Black has no hue of its own, so color wheel rules don't apply - it goes with almost everything. These partners are classics:
Black means elegance, power, formality and sophistication. Luxury brands, fashion houses and premium products use it to look timeless and confident.
In print, black ink alone can look flat, so printers use rich black - black mixed with cyan, magenta and yellow. The FOGRA rich blacks on this page are the screen versions of those mixes.
On screens, pure black text on pure white can feel harsh in long reading. Many sites use a near-black such as #1B1B1B or #222 instead, and dark themes favor dark grays like #121212 over true black.
See black in complete, ready-made palettes - each one with codes and downloads.
Want a palette built around one exact black? Start from it in the AI Color Palette Generator or pull colors from a photo with the Image Color Picker.
Black is #000000, which is rgb(0, 0, 0) and hsl(0, 0%, 0%). For print it is about 0% cyan, 0% magenta, 0% yellow and 100% black. It is also a CSS color keyword, so you can simply write black in your stylesheet.
There is no fixed number - any black can be made lighter, darker or more muted. This page lists 25 named shades, from Dark Lava (#483C32) to Black (#000000). The generator on this page makes a full 50-950 scale and unlimited tints, shades and tones from any black.
Black (#000000) has a contrast ratio of 21.00:1 on white, which passes WCAG AAA for normal text. On black it reaches 1.00:1, so use it as text on light backgrounds, or put white text on it. Test any pair with the Contrast Checker.
Near-blacks such as Vampire Black (#080808), Smoky Black (#100C08) and Rich Black FOGRA39 (#010203) are only a hair lighter than pure black. On most screens they are indistinguishable from #000000.
Rich black is a printing term for black ink mixed with other inks so it looks deeper on paper. FOGRA29 and FOGRA39 are standard print conditions; their rich blacks convert to #010B13 and #010203 on screen.
You can, but many designers prefer a near-black like #1B1B1B or #222222. It still passes every contrast check and is easier on the eyes for long reading. Check any pair in the Contrast Checker.