Shades of Black | Colormapped

Shades of Black color ramp

These near-black neutral swatches use focused HSL lightness steps from 0% to 16%. They are computed references, not official color names.

#000000 HSL lightness 0%

#050505 HSL lightness 2%

#0A0A0A HSL lightness 4%

#0F0F0F HSL lightness 6%

#141414 HSL lightness 8%

#1A1A1A HSL lightness 10%

#1F1F1F HSL lightness 12%

#242424 HSL lightness 14%

#292929 HSL lightness 16%

Base reference: #000000. Use the Tints and Shades Generator when you need a ramp based on a specific project color.

Common CSS black and dark-neutral colors

CSS has only one keyword named black, so this comparison adds standardized dark neutral and gray keywords commonly used beside it.

ColorCSS keywordHEX

Black black #000000

Dark Slate Gray darkslategray #2F4F4F

Dim Gray dimgray #696969

Slate Gray slategray #708090

Gray gray #808080

Dark Gray darkgray #A9A9A9

Silver silver #C0C0C0

Named-color values above use the standardized CSS sRGB keywords documented by MDN. The list is curated for this color family; it is not a perceptually uniform scale.

“Shades of black” commonly refers to a family of very dark neutrals. With zero saturation, the generated HSL ramp becomes grayscale, making it useful for comparing charcoal-like values with deeper blacks in a predictable way.

Using a near-black instead of absolute #000000 can reduce visual harshness in some interfaces, but the better choice depends on the surrounding palette and contrast target. Test the real pair rather than choosing a dark value by name alone.

Useful next steps

Try a specific color in the Tints and Shades Generator, or browse other shade families.