#3E3E3E · #565656 · #282828 · #141414
Use #3E3E3E as the background. Use #565656 as the primary accent. Use #282828 as secondary. Use #141414 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Soft Black — mono, moody, night, cool.
Technical breakdown for the Soft 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: 4.8% | 62, 62, 62 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 76% | 0°, 0%, 24% | ||
| Primary Accent Luminance: 9.3% | 86, 86, 86 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 66% | 0°, 0%, 34% | ||
| Secondary Luminance: 2.1% | 40, 40, 40 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 84% | 0°, 0%, 16% | ||
| Body Text Luminance: 0.7% | 20, 20, 20 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 92% | 0°, 0%, 8% |
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 Soft 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #141414 on #565656 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.51:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #565656 on #141414 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.51:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #282828 on #565656 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.01:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #565656 on #282828 |
Aa Sample Text
| 2.01:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #141414 on #3E3E3E |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.72:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #3E3E3E on #141414 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.72:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #565656 on #3E3E3E |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.46:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #3E3E3E on #565656 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.46:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #282828 on #3E3E3E |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.38:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #3E3E3E on #282828 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.38:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #141414 on #282828 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.25:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
| #282828 on #141414 |
Aa Sample Text
| 1.25:1 | Fail | Decorative use only |
The Soft 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 #565656 on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy
30° beside #565656 — 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 Soft 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 #3E3E3E for the main background and #565656 for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.
The contrast ratio between #141414 and #3E3E3E is 1.72:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.
The Soft Black palette contains #3E3E3E, #565656, #282828, #141414. 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: #141414 on #565656 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, #5F574E, #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.
Soft Black reads as mono, moody, night. Neutral gray drives the personality, grounded by neutral gray — a combination that works best when the deep base gets most of the canvas.
Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Soft 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 Soft Black's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.