#4E4E4E · #2A2A2A · #141414 · #040404
Use #4E4E4E as the background. Use #2A2A2A as the primary accent. Use #141414 as secondary. Use #040404 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Carbon Black — mono, night, cool, moody.
Technical breakdown for the Carbon Black color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).
| Swatch | Design Role | HEX | RGB | CMYK | HSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background Luminance: 7.6% | 78, 78, 78 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 69% | 0°, 0%, 31% | ||
| Primary Accent Luminance: 2.3% | 42, 42, 42 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 84% | 0°, 0%, 16% | ||
| Secondary Luminance: 0.7% | 20, 20, 20 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 92% | 0°, 0%, 8% | ||
| Body Text Luminance: 0.1% | 4, 4, 4 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 98% | 0°, 0%, 2% |
Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Carbon Black palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.
Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.
| Text on Background | Preview | Ratio | Grade | Safe For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #040404 on #4E4E4E |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.46:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #4E4E4E on #040404 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.46:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #141414 on #4E4E4E |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.21:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #4E4E4E on #141414 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.21:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #2A2A2A on #4E4E4E |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.72:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #4E4E4E on #2A2A2A |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.72:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #040404 on #2A2A2A |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.43:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #2A2A2A on #040404 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.43:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #141414 on #2A2A2A |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.28:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #2A2A2A on #141414 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.28:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #040404 on #141414 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.11:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #141414 on #040404 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.11:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
The Carbon Black palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.
A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.
Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.
directly opposite #2A2A2A on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy
30° beside #2A2A2A — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension
a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers
To use this Carbon Black color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.
:root {
/* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'} --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'} --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'} --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'} --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}Use #4E4E4E for the main background and #2A2A2A for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.
The contrast ratio between #040404 and #4E4E4E is 2.46:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.
The Carbon Black palette contains #4E4E4E, #2A2A2A, #141414, #040404. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.
Yes for its strongest pairings: #040404 on #4E4E4E reaches 2.5:1 (Fail). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.
Beyond its own four colors, #595959, #2D2925, #EEECEC extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.
Carbon Black reads as mono, night, cool. Neutral gray drives the personality, grounded by neutral gray — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.
Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Carbon Black palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.
Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Carbon Black's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.