Nearest-color comparison
Carbon Black #0C0C0C vs Matte Black #1A1A1A: RGB distance 24.2 and contrast 1.12:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Carbon Black and Matte Black are very close, with an RGB distance of 24.2. Matte Black is lighter by 0.0066, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.12:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Carbon Black and Matte Black across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Carbon Black is #0C0C0C, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.0037. Beside Matte Black, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 19.55:1.
gray color
Matte Black is #1A1A1A, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.0103. Beside Carbon Black, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 17.41:1.
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 Carbon Black and Matte 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": "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 Matte Black, it is darker 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"
},
{
"slug": "matte-black",
"name": "Matte Black",
"hex": "#1A1A1A",
"rgb": [
26,
26,
26
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
10
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
90
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0103,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.21,
"white": 17.41
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 17.41
},
"description": "Matte Black is #1A1A1A, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Carbon 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/matte-black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 24.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.12,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0066,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Matte Black",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Carbon Black"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.12,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Carbon Black",
"background": "#0C0C0C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 19.55
},
{
"color": "Matte Black",
"background": "#1A1A1A",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 17.41
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Carbon Black is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #0C0C0C.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Matte Black is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #1A1A1A.",
"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/carbon-black-vs-matte-black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "carbon-black-vs-matte-black",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Carbon Black vs Matte Black",
"verdict": "Carbon Black and Matte Black are very close colors. Matte Black is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.12:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Carbon Black and Matte Black are different gray colors with HEX values #0C0C0C and #1A1A1A. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 24.2, their contrast ratio is 1.12:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 24.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.12,
"colors": [
{
"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 Matte Black, it is darker 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"
},
{
"slug": "matte-black",
"name": "Matte Black",
"hex": "#1A1A1A",
"rgb": [
26,
26,
26
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
10
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
90
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0103,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.21,
"white": 17.41
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 17.41
},
"description": "Matte Black is #1A1A1A, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Carbon 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/matte-black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 24.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.12,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0066,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Matte Black",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Carbon Black"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.12,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Carbon Black",
"background": "#0C0C0C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 19.55
},
{
"color": "Matte Black",
"background": "#1A1A1A",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 17.41
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Carbon Black is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #0C0C0C.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Matte Black is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #1A1A1A.",
"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/carbon-black-vs-matte-black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-black.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/carbon-black-vs-matte-black/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/carbon-black-vs-matte-black.json"
}