Shades of black

Black
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#000000
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 0)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 0, 0, 100)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(–°, –%, 0%)
Source	X11/By definition
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Shades of black are colors that differ only slightly from pure black. These colors have a low lightness. From photometric point of view, a color which differs slightly from black always has low relative luminance. Variations of black include what are commonly termed off-black colors, which may be considered part of a neutral color scheme, usually in interior design as a part of a background for brighter colors. Black and dark gray colors are powerful accent colors that suggest weight, dignity, formality, and solemnity.^[1]

In color theory, a shade is a pure color mixed with black. It decreases its lightness while nearly conserving its chromaticity. Strictly speaking, a “shade of black” is always a pure black itself and a “tint of black” would be a neutral gray. Unlike these, many off-black colors possess a hue and a colorfulness (also called saturation).

Colors often considered "shades of black" include onyx, black olive, charcoal, and jet; these colors and other variations of black are shown below.

Black

Black (#000000)

Black
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#000000
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(0, 0, 0)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 0, 0, 100)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(-°, -%, 0%)
Source	X11/By definition
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Black is a color, the perception of which is evoked by the total absence of light that stimulates any of the three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye and with very low brightness compared to the surroundings. A black visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness. Black is the darkest possible color.

Technical black varieties

A black body is an idealized physical body that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation,) regardless of frequency or angle of incidence. To the human eye it seems black.

Some recent surface treatments to simulate a black body are:

• Carbon black
• Super black
• Vantablack

Variations of black (off-black colors)

The colors are arranged in order of value (brightness) (v code in the hsv code), the lightest colors at the top and the darkest at the bottom.

Midnight blue

Midnight Blue (#191970)

Midnight blue
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#191970
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(25, 25, 112)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(97, 78, 39, 29)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(240°, 78%, 44%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue named for its resemblance to the identifiably blue color of a moonlit night sky on or near the night of a full moon.

This is the X11 web color midnight blue.

This color was originally called midnight. The first recorded use of midnight as a color name in English was in 1915.^[2]

Dim gray

Dim gray (#696969)

Dim gray
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#696969
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(105, 105, 105)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 0, 0, 59)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(--°, 0%, 41[3]%)
Source	X11
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

At right is displayed the web color dim gray.

This color is a dark tone of gray.

The color name dim gray first came into use in 1987, when this color was formulated as one of the colors on the X11 color list, introduced that year. After the invention of the world wide web in 1991, these colors became known as the "X11 web colors".

Ebony

Ebony (#555D50)

Ebony wood

Ebony
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#555D50
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(85, 93, 80)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(9, 0, 14, 64)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(97°, 14%, 37[4]%)
Source	Maerz and Paul
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color ebony.

This color is a representation of the color of the wood ebony, a tropical hardwood widely used to make fine furniture, notably for French kings.

The first use of ebony as a color name in English was in 1590.^[5]

Taupe

Taupe (#483C32)

Taupe
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#483C32
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(72, 60, 50)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 60, 60, 30)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(30°, 17%, 34%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color displayed at left matches the color sample called taupe referenced below in the 1930 book A Dictionary of Color, the world standard for color terms before the invention of computers. However, the word taupe is currently often used to refer to lighter shades of taupe, and therefore another name for this color is dark taupe.

The first use of taupe as a color name in English was in the early 19th century (exact year is not known).^[6]

Davy's gray

Davy’s Gray (#555555)

Davy's gray
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#555555
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(85, 85, 85)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 0, 0, 67)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(-°, 0%, 33[7]%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Davy's gray is a dark gray color, made from powdered slate, iron oxide and carbon black named for Henry Davy.^[8][9]

The first recorded use of Davy’s gray as a color name in English was in the 19th century (precise date uncertain).^[10]

Charcoal

Charcoal (#36454F)

Charcoal
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#36454F
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(54, 69, 79)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(32, 13, 0, 69)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(204°, 31%, 31[11]%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Charcoal is a color that is a representation of the dark gray color of burned wood.

The first recorded use of charcoal as a color name in English was in 1606.^[12]

Source of color: ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955)--Color Sample of Charcoal (color sample #187).

Outer space

Outer space (#414A4C)

Outer Space
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#414A4C
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(65, 74, 76)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(15, 0, 3, 70)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(191°, 15%, 30[13]%)
Source	Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color outer space is a metaphorical representation of the color of outer space.

The color outer space was formulated by Crayola in 1998.

Café noir

Cafe Noir (#4B3621)

Café noir
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#4B3621
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(75, 54, 33)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 28, 56, 71)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(30°, 56%, 29[14]%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color displayed at right is café noir, also known as black coffee. It is a representation of the color of brewed coffee.

The first recorded use of cafe noir as a color name in English was in 1928.^[15]

The source of the color cafe noir displayed at right is the ISCC-NBS Color List (see page C, cafe noir, color sample No. 81).^[16]

Black bean

Black Bean (#3D0C02)

Black beans

Bean
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#3D0C02
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(61, 12, 2)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 80, 97, 6)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(10°, 97%, 24[17]%)
Source	Xona.com
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Black bean is a color that resembles black beans. It is the color called bean on the Xona.com Color List, which was formulated in 2001.

Black olive

Black Olive (#3B3C36)

Olive (RAL)
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#3B3C36
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(59, 60, 54)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(2, 9, 10, 77)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(70°, 10%, 24[18]%)
Source	RAL
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Black olive a representation of the color of black olives. Also known as olive, color No. 6015, in the RAL color matching system, widely used in Europe.

Onyx

Onyx (#353839)

Black onyx with bands of colors

Onyx
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#353839
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(53, 56, 57)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(7, 0, 2, 78)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(195°, 7%, 22[19]%)
Source	Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color onyx is a representation of the color of onyx.

This is one of the colors in the Crayola specialty crayon set called "Gem Tones", introduced in 1994.

Phthalo green

Phthalo Green (#123524)

Phthalo green
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#123524
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(18, 53, 36)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(82, 51, 80, 64)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(151°, 66%, 21%)
Source	The Mother of All HTML Colo(u)r Charts
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Phthalo green, formally known as phthalocyanine green, is a synthetic green pigment from the group of phthalocyanine dyes, a complex of copper(II) with chlorinated phthalocyanine. It is a very soft green powder insoluble in water.

Jet

Jet (#343434)

Mourning jewelry: jet brooch, 19th century

Jet
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#343434
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(52, 52, 52)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 0, 0, 80)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(-°, 0%, 20[20]%)
Source	ISCC-NBS
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color jet, also called jet black, is displayed above.

The color jet is a representation of the color of the mineraloid jet.

The first recorded use of jet as a color name in English was in 1450.^[21]

Black leather jacket

Black Leather Jacket (#253529)

Black leather jacket
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#253529
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(37, 53, 41)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(30, 0, 23, 79)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(135°, 30%, 21[22]%)
Source	Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Black leather jacket is the color called leather jacket by Crayola.

The color black leather jacket is a representation of the color of a black leather jacket.

This color was introduced by Crayola in 1994 as one of the colors in its specialty Crayola Magic Scent crayons.

Charleston green

Charleston Green (#232B2B)

Charleston green
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#232B2B
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(35, 43, 43)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(18, 0, 0, 83)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(180°, 19%, 17[23]%)
Source	Internet
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

Displayed at right is the color Charleston green.

The color Charleston green originated after the American Civil War, when the North provided black paint to the South for use in its reconstruction. Charlestonians, i.e., the inhabitants of Charleston, South Carolina, mixed the black with a little bit of yellow and blue and created Charleston green. Since this color has a hue code of 180, it is actually an extremely dark shade of cyan.

The paint manufacturer Duron/Sherwin Williams paint color number for "historic Charleston green" is DCR099--the color sample at right was taken from this color swatch (hex code #232B2B), which is on the website accessible called Colors of Historic Charleston:^[24] This color looks black unless the sun hits it just right, and then the color registers a very dark forest green. From Rust-Oleum paint company it is color No. 214086 but still looks black on color cards.

Eerie black

Eerie Black (#1B1B1B)

Eerie black
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1B1B1B
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(27, 27, 27)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 0, 0, 89)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(--°, 0%, 11[25]%)
Source	Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color eerie black is displayed at left. Eerie black is a color formulated by Crayola in the early 2000s as one of the colors in its Heads 'n Tails specialty box of colors.

Licorice

Licorice (#1A1110)

Licorice wheels

Licorice
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#1A1110
sRGB^B  (r, g, b)	(26, 17, 16)
CMYK^H   (c, m, y, k)	(0, 35, 39, 90)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(6°, 39%, 10[26]%)
Source	Crayola
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) H: Normalized to [0–100] (hundred)

The color licorice is displayed at right.

The color licorice is a representation of the color of licorice candy, which is made from licorice.

This color was introduced by Crayola in 1994 as one of the colors in its specialty Crayola Magic Scent crayons.

References

1. Pile, John F. Interior Design Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:2007 Prentice-Hall Page 316
2. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill Page 199; Color Sample of Midnight: Page 103 Plate 40 Color Sample A8
3. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #696969 (Dim Gray):
4. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #555D50 (Ebony):
5. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 194
6. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 205; Discussion of Color Taupe, Page 183; Color Sample of Taupe: Page 55 Plate 16 Color Sample A6
7. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #555555 (Davy's Gray):
8. Paterson, Ian (2003), A Dictionary of Colour (1st paperback ed.), London: Thorogood (published 2004), p. 134, ISBN 1-85418-375-3, OCLC 60411025
9. Eastaugh, Nicholas; Walsh, Valentine; Chaplin, Tracey; Siddall, Ruth (2004), Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments, Butterworth-Heinemann, p. 139, ISBN 978-0-7506-5749-5, OCLC 56444720
10. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 194; Color Sample of Davy’s Grey: Page 117 Plate 47 Color Sample A4
11. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #36454F (Charcoal):
12. Maerz and Paul. A Dictionary of Color. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1930. Page 192; color sample: page 117, plate 47 Color Sample A2 – Charcoal
13. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #414A4C (Outer Space):
14. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #4B3621 (Café Noir):
15. Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 191; Color Sample of Cafe Noir: Page 39--Plate 8 Color Sample H12
16. ISCC NBS Color List—See Cafe Noir, color sample #81:
17. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #3D0C02 (Black Bean):
18. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color # 3B3C36 (Black Olive):
19. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #353839 (Onyx):
20. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #343434 (Jet):
21. Maerz and Paul. A Dictionary of Color. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1930. Page 197
22. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #253529 (Black Leather Jacket):
23. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #232B2B (Charleston Green):
24. Duron Paints—Colors of Historic Charleston—Charleston Green:
25. web.forrett.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code #1B1B1B (Eerie Black):
26. web.forret.com Color Conversion Tool set to hex code of color #1A1110 (Licorice):

See also

• List of colors
• Shades of white
• Variations of gray