Colors Encyclopedia

Named color

Graphite

Graphite color #383838: RGB 56, 56, 56 and HSL 0°, 0%, 22%. Explore its neutral gray profile, contrast, CSS, palettes and harmonies.

#383838 gray neutral dark
HEX #383838
RGB rgb(56, 56, 56)
HSL hsl(0 0% 22%)
CMYK cmyk(0, 0, 0, 78)
Luminance 0.0395
Contrast Black 1.79:1White 11.73:1

Use this color

Create with Graphite

Open a professional color tool with #383838 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 Graphite 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-graphite: #383838;
.bg-graphite { background-color: #383838; }
.text-graphite { color: #383838; }
Open CSS utility pageReusable variables, classes, examples, and implementation notes

Color meaning and use

About Graphite Color

Graphite uses HEX #383838, RGB 56, 56, 56, and HSL 0°, 0%, 22%. 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 0.0395; black contrast is 1.79:1 and white contrast is 11.73:1, making white the stronger of those two standard foreground choices.

WCAG Accessibility

Contrast checks for Graphite against black and white text.

Black text1.79:1AA Fail
White text11.73:1AA 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

Graphite Color Reference Infographic

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

1200 × 800
Graphite color reference infographic showing #383838, RGB and HSL values, a coordinated palette, and black and white text contrast.
Graphite color reference infographic generated from the verified Colors Encyclopedia dataset.
Download WebPDownload SVGOpen full size

Color Harmonies

Graphite#383838Graphite#383838Graphite#383838Graphite#383838Graphite#383838
Open full Graphite harmony pageComplementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic sets

Variants

#666666#666666#0A0A0A#0A0A0A#442C2C#442C2CGraphite#383838#787878#787878Crimson Red#990000

Pairings

White#FFFFFFGraphite#383838Graphite#383838Graphite#383838Matte 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
Luminance0.0395
Black text1.79:1AA Fail
White text11.73:1AA 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": "#383838",
  "rgb": [
    56,
    56,
    56
  ],
  "hsl": [
    0,
    0,
    22
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    0,
    0,
    78
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0395,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.79,
    "white": 11.73
  }
}
WCAG
{
  "AA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ],
  "AAA": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#F5F5F5"
  ]
}
Harmonies
{
  "complementary": "#383838",
  "analogous": [
    "#383838",
    "#383838"
  ],
  "triadic": [
    "#383838",
    "#383838"
  ],
  "tetradic": [
    "#383838",
    "#383838",
    "#383838"
  ],
  "splitComplementary": [
    "#383838",
    "#383838"
  ],
  "monochromatic": [
    "#666666",
    "#383838",
    "#0A0A0A"
  ]
}
Variants
{
  "light": "#666666",
  "dark": "#0A0A0A",
  "saturated": "#442C2C",
  "desaturated": "#383838",
  "pastel": "#787878",
  "neon": "#990000"
}
Pairings
{
  "best": [
    "#FFFFFF",
    "#383838",
    "#383838",
    "#383838"
  ],
  "avoid": [
    "#383838",
    "#666666"
  ],
  "neutral": [
    "#1A1A1A",
    "#F5F5F5",
    "#E8E8E4"
  ],
  "highContrast": [
    "#FFFFFF"
  ],
  "lowContrast": [
    "#666666",
    "#383838"
  ]
}
Knowledge graph
{
  "nearestColors": [
    "onyx",
    "jet",
    "peat",
    "gunmetal",
    "taupe"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "graphite"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "aubergine-vs-graphite",
    "graphite-vs-jet",
    "graphite-vs-onyx",
    "peat-vs-graphite",
    "taupe-vs-graphite"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/gray",
    "/colors/by-temperature/neutral",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/graphite",
    "/wcag/graphite",
    "/css/colors/graphite",
    "/hex/383838",
    "/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/graphite"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/onyx",
      "/colors/jet",
      "/colors/peat",
      "/colors/gunmetal",
      "/colors/taupe",
      "/compare/aubergine-vs-graphite",
      "/compare/graphite-vs-jet",
      "/compare/graphite-vs-onyx",
      "/compare/peat-vs-graphite",
      "/compare/taupe-vs-graphite",
      "/harmonies/graphite",
      "/wcag/graphite",
      "/css/colors/graphite",
      "/hex/383838",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  }
}
Full JSON dataset 
{
  "slug": "graphite",
  "name": "Graphite",
  "hex": "#383838",
  "uses": [
    "backgrounds",
    "typography",
    "product surfaces"
  ],
  "psychology": {
    "associations": [
      "restraint",
      "clarity",
      "balance"
    ],
    "contexts": [
      "interfaces",
      "architecture",
      "editorial design",
      "packaging"
    ],
    "avoidIn": [
      "high-energy accent-only 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 and editorial color systems."
  },
  "family": "gray",
  "temperature": "neutral",
  "tone": [
    "dark"
  ],
  "editorialNotes": "Curated internal color record with computed technical properties.",
  "tags": [
    "gray",
    "neutral",
    "dark",
    "backgrounds",
    "typography",
    "product-surfaces",
    "restraint",
    "clarity",
    "balance"
  ],
  "popularity": 84,
  "rgb": [
    56,
    56,
    56
  ],
  "hsl": [
    0,
    0,
    22
  ],
  "cmyk": [
    0,
    0,
    0,
    78
  ],
  "luminance": 0.0395,
  "contrast": {
    "black": 1.79,
    "white": 11.73
  },
  "harmonies": {
    "complementary": "#383838",
    "analogous": [
      "#383838",
      "#383838"
    ],
    "triadic": [
      "#383838",
      "#383838"
    ],
    "tetradic": [
      "#383838",
      "#383838",
      "#383838"
    ],
    "splitComplementary": [
      "#383838",
      "#383838"
    ],
    "monochromatic": [
      "#666666",
      "#383838",
      "#0A0A0A"
    ]
  },
  "variants": {
    "light": "#666666",
    "dark": "#0A0A0A",
    "saturated": "#442C2C",
    "desaturated": "#383838",
    "pastel": "#787878",
    "neon": "#990000"
  },
  "wcag": {
    "AA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ],
    "AAA": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#F5F5F5"
    ]
  },
  "css": {
    "variable": "--color-graphite: #383838;",
    "utility": ".bg-graphite { background-color: #383838; }",
    "textUtility": ".text-graphite { color: #383838; }"
  },
  "nearestColors": [
    "onyx",
    "jet",
    "peat",
    "gunmetal",
    "taupe"
  ],
  "generatedPalettes": [
    "graphite"
  ],
  "generatedComparisons": [
    "aubergine-vs-graphite",
    "graphite-vs-jet",
    "graphite-vs-onyx",
    "peat-vs-graphite",
    "taupe-vs-graphite"
  ],
  "relatedFamilies": [
    "/colors/by-family/gray",
    "/colors/by-temperature/neutral",
    "/colors/by-tone/dark"
  ],
  "relatedTools": [
    "/harmonies/graphite",
    "/wcag/graphite",
    "/css/colors/graphite",
    "/hex/383838",
    "/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/graphite"
    ],
    "related": [
      "/colors/onyx",
      "/colors/jet",
      "/colors/peat",
      "/colors/gunmetal",
      "/colors/taupe",
      "/compare/aubergine-vs-graphite",
      "/compare/graphite-vs-jet",
      "/compare/graphite-vs-onyx",
      "/compare/peat-vs-graphite",
      "/compare/taupe-vs-graphite",
      "/harmonies/graphite",
      "/wcag/graphite",
      "/css/colors/graphite",
      "/hex/383838",
      "/tools/css-gradient-generator",
      "/tools/color-palette-generator",
      "/tools/css-color-mixer",
      "/tools/contrast-checker"
    ]
  },
  "pairings": {
    "best": [
      "#FFFFFF",
      "#383838",
      "#383838",
      "#383838"
    ],
    "avoid": [
      "#383838",
      "#666666"
    ],
    "neutral": [
      "#1A1A1A",
      "#F5F5F5",
      "#E8E8E4"
    ],
    "highContrast": [
      "#FFFFFF"
    ],
    "lowContrast": [
      "#666666",
      "#383838"
    ]
  }
}
Dataset manifest Version 1.0.0 Build hash published in manifest Canonical page

Similar Colors

Onyx#353839
Jet#343434
Peat#3B2F2F
Gunmetal#2A3439
Taupe#483C32

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.Graphite accessibilityCheck contrast and WCAG text options for #383838.Graphite CSS utilitiesUse Graphite in CSS variables and utility classes.#383838 HEX atlasOpen the permanent HEX atlas record for conversions and variants.Graphite paletteOpen the generated palette based on Graphite.Graphite harmoniesExplore complementary, analogous, triadic, and tetradic harmonies.