Nearest-color comparison
Black #000000 vs Carbon Black #0C0C0C: RGB distance 20.8 and contrast 1.07:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Black and Carbon Black are very close, with an RGB distance of 20.8. Carbon Black is lighter by 0.0037, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.07:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Black and Carbon Black across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Black is #000000, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0. Beside Carbon Black, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 21:1.
gray color
Carbon Black is #0C0C0C, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.0037. Beside Black, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 19.55:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Black and Carbon Black, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "black",
"name": "Black",
"hex": "#000000",
"rgb": [
0,
0,
0
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
0
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
100
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark",
"neutral"
],
"luminance": 0,
"contrast": {
"black": 1,
"white": 21
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 21
},
"description": "Black is #000000, a neutral gray color with dark and neutral character. Compared with Carbon Black, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for text, luxury branding, and high contrast, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/black.json"
},
{
"slug": "carbon-black",
"name": "Carbon Black",
"hex": "#0C0C0C",
"rgb": [
12,
12,
12
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
5
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
95
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0037,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.07,
"white": 19.55
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 19.55
},
"description": "Carbon Black is #0C0C0C, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Black, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/carbon-black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-black.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 20.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.07,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0037,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Carbon Black",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Black"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.07,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Black",
"background": "#000000",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 21
},
{
"color": "Carbon Black",
"background": "#0C0C0C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 19.55
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Black is better when the design needs dark and neutral gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #000000.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Carbon Black is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #0C0C0C.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/black-vs-carbon-black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-black.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "black-vs-carbon-black",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Black vs Carbon Black",
"verdict": "Black and Carbon Black are very close colors. Carbon Black is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.07:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Black and Carbon Black are different gray colors with HEX values #000000 and #0C0C0C. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 20.8, their contrast ratio is 1.07:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 20.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.07,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "black",
"name": "Black",
"hex": "#000000",
"rgb": [
0,
0,
0
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
0
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
100
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark",
"neutral"
],
"luminance": 0,
"contrast": {
"black": 1,
"white": 21
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 21
},
"description": "Black is #000000, a neutral gray color with dark and neutral character. Compared with Carbon Black, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for text, luxury branding, and high contrast, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/black.json"
},
{
"slug": "carbon-black",
"name": "Carbon Black",
"hex": "#0C0C0C",
"rgb": [
12,
12,
12
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
5
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
95
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0037,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.07,
"white": 19.55
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 19.55
},
"description": "Carbon Black is #0C0C0C, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Black, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/carbon-black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-black.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 20.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.07,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0037,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Carbon Black",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Black"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.07,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Black",
"background": "#000000",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 21
},
{
"color": "Carbon Black",
"background": "#0C0C0C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 19.55
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Black is better when the design needs dark and neutral gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #000000.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Carbon Black is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #0C0C0C.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/black-vs-carbon-black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-black.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/black-vs-carbon-black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/black-vs-carbon-black.json"
}