Seeking black hex codes?
Whatever your color palette, you want the right hex color codes to make your design sing.
Below you’ll find hex values for 20 black shades so you can pick the perfect one.
Plus answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the color black!
Let’s dive into the depths of black.
What is the Blackest Black Hex Code?
The blackest black has the hex code #000000.
In the RGB color space, black is 0, 0, 0. All the 0s mean that there is no red, green, or blue light. This deep black is the absence of light, so it’s the darkest color there is.
RGB color is subtractive, meaning that 0 is the darkest.
Black #000000 absorbs all light. Complete darkness.
| Black Color Swatch |
What is the Most Black CMYK?
Black in CMYK is 0, 0, 0, 100. However, for printing purposes this won’t give you the darkest black. For that I recommend Rich Black.
Since printing colors are additive, adding more colors (and more ink) actually makes your black blacker.
A good rich black is 60C, 50M, 50Y, 100K. For a cooler black, you can use 80C, 20M, 20Y, 100K. For a warmer black, go with 20C, 70M, 70Y, 100K.
All of these will give you greater than 200% ink coverage. Be sure to check with your printer to ensure the highest percentage allowable by their offset printing equipment and the paper stock you have chosen.
You might also want to learn the color meaning of black.
How Many Black Hex Codes Are There?
You can choose from so many shades of black! How many there actually are might depend on what you consider “black.”
Black is such a popular color – important in digital design as it gives strong color contrast, as well as the darling of the fashion industry. And one of the top-picked favorite colors.
Below are 19 additional black colors that aren’t quite as dark as pure black above, but are quite dark.
I’ve arranged them roughly from darkest to least dark.
I didn’t include colors that are actually dark brown, blue, purple, or green, as these shades are clearly not black.
Night Hex Code
Night is an almost-black with the hex code #0C090A.
| Night Color Swatch |
Licorice Hex Codes
Licorice is a shade of black with the hex code #1B1212 and the RGB values 27, 18, 18.
| Licorice 1 Color Swatch |
Here’s another Licorice with the hexadecimal color code #1A1110.
| Licorice 2 Color Swatch |
Eigengrau Hex Code
Eigengrau means “intrinsic gray” in German. It represents the uniform dark gray background color that many people report seeing in the absence of light. Eigengrau is almost black and its hex code is #16161D.
| Eigengrau Color Swatch |
Onyx Hex Codes
This Onyx is near black with the hex code #0F0F0F. The matched pairs mean equal amounts of red, green, and blue light, so it is neutral in tone.
| Onyx 1 Color Swatch |
Here’s another Onyx with the hex code #353935. It can also be represented in RGB color code as 53, 57, 53.
| Onyx 2 Color Swatch |
Smoky Black Hex Code
Just a hair off true black, the Smoky Black hex code is #100C08.
| Smoky Black Color Swatch |
Matte Black Hex Code
Another near black is Matte Black, with the hex code #28282B, or RGB 40, 40, 43.
| Matte Black Color Swatch |
Ebony Hex Code
Ebony is a cool black with the hex code #282C35.
| Ebony Color Swatch |
Charcoal Hex Codes
Charcoal is a slightly lighter black with the hex code #34282C. It has a bit of extra red value for a warm black.
| Charcoal 1 Color Swatch |
Here’s a cool Charcoal that leans towards the blue value with hex code #36454F. In the RGB color model, it is 54, 69, 79.
| Charcoal 2 Color Swatch |
Oil Hex Code
Oil is an interesting tone with the hex code #3B3131.
| Oil Color Swatch |
Dark Gray Hex Code
Dark Gray is a deep, almost black tint with a cool tones and the hex code #3A3B3C.
| Dark Gray Color Swatch |
Jet Black Hex Code
Jet Black is a neutral near black with 3 matching pairs in its hex code #343434. The RGB values are 52, 52, 52.
| Jet Black Color Swatch |
Light Black Hex Code
Light Black is a neutral deep tone with 3 matching pairs: hex code #454545.
| Light Black Color Swatch |
Black Olive Hex Code
Black Olive has the slightest extra green value to represent the color of black olives. The hex code is #3B3C36.
| Black Olive Color Swatch |
Iridium Hex Code
Iridium has the hex code #3D3C3A.
| Iridium Color Swatch |
Black Cat Hex Code
Black Cat has a bit extra red and a hex code of #413839.
| Black Cat Color Swatch |
Black Eel Hex Code
Adding to our black animal color names, Black Eel has the hex code #463E3F.
| Black Eel Color Swatch |
Black Cow Hex Code
Rounding up this group is Black Cow with the hex code #4C4646.
| Black Cow Color Swatch |
So Many Shades of Black Color!
20 shown above, and even more choices I can add at a future date, like:
- Black Bean
- Black Coffee
- Outer Space
- Black Hole
- Eerie Black
- Pitch Black
- Black Rock
- Glossy Black
- Black Pearl
- Black Leather Jacket
Well, you get the idea! There are more black color names than you can imagine.
Want more colors? Learn all about hex codes for colors and check out the full palette!
Leave a Reply