RAL and NCS values are nearest equivalents, not official designations.
In many indigenous cultures, obsidian is believed to have protective properties and is often used in rituals. While it signifies strength and resilience in Western contexts, in some Eastern traditions, it may represent introspection and the inner journey.
The term 'obsidian' originates from the Latin 'obsidianus', named after a Roman named Obsius who was said to have discovered the stone in Ethiopia around 100 AD. Throughout history, obsidian has been used to craft tools and weapons, with its sharp edges making it highly prized by ancient civilizations.
Ranked by CIE76 ΔE — the perceptual distance from Obsidian. Lower ΔE means a closer match (below ~2 is barely distinguishable).
All 27 Grays →Nine steps of Obsidian by lightness — from #0E0E0E (darkest) to #888888 (lightest). Click any to copy.
Curated 5-color combinations featuring Obsidian.
A 50–900 tonal scale with Obsidian 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: #1B1B1B; color-mix(in srgb, #1B1B1B 70%, white) 0°, 0%, 11% 0, 0, 0, 89 1776411 #333333 How Obsidian appears to viewers with the three main types of color blindness (~1 in 12 men, 1 in 200 women). Simulated approximations.