Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Carbon Black

Carbon Black color #0C0C0C: RGB 12, 12, 12 and HSL 0°, 0%, 5%. Explore its neutral gray profile, contrast, CSS, palettes and harmonies.

#0C0C0C gray neutral dark
HEX #0C0C0C
RGB rgb(12, 12, 12)
HSL hsl(0 0% 5%)
CMYK cmyk(0, 0, 0, 95)
Luminance 0.0037
Contrast Black 1.07:1White 19.55:1

Use this color

Create with Carbon Black

Open a professional color tool with #0C0C0C already applied. Each configuration stays canonical to the tool and can be adjusted or shared.

All color tools
Generate palette & CSS variablesCreate 50–950 tokens and export CSS, SCSS, JSON, or Tailwind.Open configured tool →Open in Gradient StudioStart with Carbon Black and its complementary color.Open configured tool →Mix this colorBlend it with a complementary color and copy color-mix() CSS.Open configured tool →Check contrastOpen the strongest black or white background pairing.Open configured tool →Accessible combinationsReview AA and AAA text options, alternatives, warnings, and UI guidance.Open configured tool →Create glass surfaceUse this color as the tint for a translucent UI panel.Open configured tool →

CSS Utilities

--color-carbon-black: #0C0C0C;
.bg-carbon-black { background-color: #0C0C0C; }
.text-carbon-black { color: #0C0C0C; }
Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Color meaning and use

About Carbon Black Color

Carbon Black uses HEX #0C0C0C, RGB 12, 12, 12, and HSL 0°, 0%, 5%. The dataset classifies it in the gray family with neutral temperature and dark visual character.

No separate named-color neighbor is recorded for this entry. Its relative luminance is 0.0037; black contrast is 1.07:1 and white contrast is 19.55:1, making white the stronger of those two standard foreground choices.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Carbon Black against black and white text.

Black text1.07:1AA Fail
White text19.55:1AA Pass
AA text options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5
AAA text options#FFFFFF, #F5F5F5
Open WCAG pageDetailed contrast notes, warnings, alternatives, and UI examples

Downloadable color reference infographic

Carbon Black Color Reference Infographic

Save a high-resolution infographic of Carbon Black, including its color values, coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.

1200 × 800
Carbon Black color reference infographic showing #0C0C0C, RGB and HSL values, a coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.
Carbon Black color reference infographic generated from the verified Colors Encyclopedia dataset.
Download WebPDownload SVGOpen full size

Color Harmonies

#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D
Open full Carbon Black harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#3B3B3B#3B3B3BBlack#000000#100A0A#100A0A#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#4D4D4D#4D4D4D#420000#420000

Pairings

White#FFFFFF#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0D#0D0D0DMatte Black#1A1A1AWhite Smoke#F5F5F5

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Color Data (JSON)

Perfect for CSS, design systems, automation, and AI ingestion.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
Luminance0.0037
Black text1.07:1AA Fail
White text19.55:1AA Pass
hexCanonical HEX value
rgbRed, green, blue channels
hslHue, saturation, lightness
cmykApproximate print conversion
wcagAA and AAA contrast options
harmoniesMathematical harmony sets
variantsGenerated tone variants
nearestColorsKnowledge graph neighbors
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Color systems
{
  "hex": "#0C0C0C",
  "rgb": [
    12,
    12,
    12
  ],
  "hsl": [
    0,
    0,
    5
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    0,
    0,
    95
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0037,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.07,
    "white": 19.55
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ]
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#0D0D0D",
  "analogous": [
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#0D0D0D"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#0D0D0D"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#0D0D0D"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#0D0D0D"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#3B3B3B",
    "#0C0C0C",
    "#000000"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#3B3B3B",
  "dark": "#000000",
  "saturated": "#100A0A",
  "desaturated": "#0D0D0D",
  "pastel": "#4D4D4D",
  "neon": "#420000"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#0D0D0D"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#0D0D0D",
    "#3B3B3B"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#FFFFFF"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#3B3B3B",
    "#0D0D0D"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "black",
    "matte-black",
    "carbon-fiber",
    "raisin",
    "rubber"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "carbon-black"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "black-vs-carbon-black",
    "carbon-black-vs-matte-black"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/gray",
    "/colors/by-temperature/neutral",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/carbon-black",
    "/wcag/carbon-black",
    "/css/colors/carbon-black",
    "/hex/0c0c0c",
    "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
    "/tools/color-palette-generator",
    "/tools/css-color-mixer",
    "/tools/contrast-checker"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/gray",
      "/colors/by-temperature/neutral",
      "/colors/by-tone/dark"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/carbon-black"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/black",
      "/colors/matte-black",
      "/colors/carbon-fiber",
      "/colors/raisin",
      "/colors/rubber",
      "/compare/black-vs-carbon-black",
      "/compare/carbon-black-vs-matte-black",
      "/harmonies/carbon-black",
      "/wcag/carbon-black",
      "/css/colors/carbon-black",
      "/hex/0c0c0c",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "carbon-black",
  "name": "Carbon Black",
  "hex": "#0C0C0C",
  "uses": [
    "industrial design",
    "safety systems",
    "hardware palettes"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "utility",
      "visibility",
      "precision"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "transportation",
      "tools",
      "hardware",
      "signage"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "soft wellness palettes"
    ]
  },
  "aliases": [],
  "sourceType": "curated",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "reviewStatus": "manual",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/assets/colors.json",
  "origin": {
    "type": "common",
    "notes": "Curated common color reference used in design, material, cultural, and editorial color systems."
  },
  "family": "gray",
  "temperature": "neutral",
  "tone": [
    "dark"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "gray",
    "neutral",
    "dark",
    "industrial-design",
    "safety-systems",
    "hardware-palettes",
    "utility",
    "visibility",
    "precision"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    12,
    12,
    12
  ],
  "hsl": [
    0,
    0,
    5
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    0,
    0,
    95
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0037,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.07,
    "white": 19.55
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#0D0D0D",
    "analogous": [
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#0D0D0D"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#0D0D0D"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#0D0D0D"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#0D0D0D"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#3B3B3B",
      "#0C0C0C",
      "#000000"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#3B3B3B",
    "dark": "#000000",
    "saturated": "#100A0A",
    "desaturated": "#0D0D0D",
    "pastel": "#4D4D4D",
    "neon": "#420000"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-carbon-black: #0C0C0C;",
    "utility": ".bg-carbon-black { background-color: #0C0C0C; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-carbon-black { color: #0C0C0C; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "black",
    "matte-black",
    "carbon-fiber",
    "raisin",
    "rubber"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "carbon-black"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "black-vs-carbon-black",
    "carbon-black-vs-matte-black"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/gray",
    "/colors/by-temperature/neutral",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/carbon-black",
    "/wcag/carbon-black",
    "/css/colors/carbon-black",
    "/hex/0c0c0c",
    "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
    "/tools/color-palette-generator",
    "/tools/css-color-mixer",
    "/tools/contrast-checker"
  ],
  "semanticRelations": {
    "broader": [
      "/colors/by-family/gray",
      "/colors/by-temperature/neutral",
      "/colors/by-tone/dark"
    ],
    "narrower": [
      "/palettes/carbon-black"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/black",
      "/colors/matte-black",
      "/colors/carbon-fiber",
      "/colors/raisin",
      "/colors/rubber",
      "/compare/black-vs-carbon-black",
      "/compare/carbon-black-vs-matte-black",
      "/harmonies/carbon-black",
      "/wcag/carbon-black",
      "/css/colors/carbon-black",
      "/hex/0c0c0c",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#0D0D0D"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#0D0D0D",
      "#3B3B3B"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#FFFFFF"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#3B3B3B",
      "#0D0D0D"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Similar Colors

Black#000000
Matte Black#1A1A1A
Carbon Fiber#1C1C1C
Raisin#242124
Rubber#2A2725

Related Color Guides

Gray color familyBrowse named gray colors and compare nearby swatches.Neutral colorsExplore colors with neutral temperature behavior.Dark colorsFind colors with dark visual character.Carbon Black accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #0C0C0C.Carbon Black CSS utilitiesUse Carbon Black in CSS variables and utility classes.#0C0C0C HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Carbon Black paletteOpen the generated palette based on Carbon Black.Carbon Black harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.