RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In Western cultures, black often signifies mourning and loss, while in some Eastern traditions, it represents power and sophistication. The duality of black as both ominous and elegant reflects its complex role in various cultures around the world.
The use of black pigments dates back to ancient civilizations, including the Egyptians who utilized carbon black from soot around 3000 BC. The term 'black' comes from the Old English 'blæc', meaning 'dark' or 'absent of light', highlighting its historical significance as a color of mystery.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Black. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 27 Grays →Nine steps of Black by lightness — from #000000 (darkest) to #7A7A7A (lightest). Click any to copy.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Black.
Brands and institutions known for using Black.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Black anchored at 500 — ready to drop into a design system. Click any step to copy.
Works well as text on light backgrounds; fails on dark.
Thresholds: AA needs 4.5:1 (normal text) / 3:1 (large); AAA needs 7:1 / 4.5:1. Large = 18pt+ or 14pt+ bold.
Copy-ready values for CSS, screen and print, plus the extra conversions designers reach for.
color: black; color-mix(in srgb, black 70%, white) 0°, 0%, 0% 0, 0, 0, 100 0 #000000 How Black appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.