Nearest-color comparison

Carbon Fiber vs Matte Black

Carbon Fiber and Matte Black are different gray colors with HEX values #1C1C1C and #1A1A1A. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 3.5, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Carbon Fiber and Matte Black are very close colors. Carbon Fiber is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Carbon Fiber#1C1C1C

Matte Black#1A1A1A

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Carbon Fiber and Matte Black across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance3.5

Pair contrast1.02:1

Luminance delta0.0013

Hue delta0 deg

Lighter colorCarbon Fiber

More saturatedCarbon Fiber

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber is #1C1C1C, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Matte 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.

HEX#1C1C1C RGB28, 28, 28 HSL0, 0, 11 CMYK0, 0, 0, 89 Luminance0.0116 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

gray color

Matte Black

Matte Black is #1A1A1A, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Carbon Fiber, 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.

HEX#1A1A1A RGB26, 26, 26 HSL0, 0, 10 CMYK0, 0, 0, 90 Luminance0.0103 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Carbon Fiber or Matte Black

Choose Carbon FiberCarbon Fiber is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #1C1C1C.

Choose Matte BlackMatte Black is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #1A1A1A.

Use togetherUse these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyCarbon FiberMatte Black

HEX#1C1C1C#1A1A1A

RGB28, 28, 2826, 26, 26

HSL0, 0, 110, 0, 10

CMYK0, 0, 0, 890, 0, 0, 90

FamilyGrayGray

TemperatureNeutralNeutral

ToneDarkDark

Luminance0.01160.0103

Black contrast1.23:11.21:1

White contrast17.05:117.41:1

Shared tonesDark

Accessibility and Contrast

Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.

Carbon Fiberwhite text - 17.05:1

Matte Blackwhite text - 17.41:1

Related Palette Strip

A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.

Carbon Fiber#1C1C1C

Matte Black#1A1A1A

#4A4A4A#4A4A4A

#474747#474747

Carbon Fiber#1C1C1C

Matte Black#1A1A1A

colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and links

differencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributes

accessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each color

useCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them together

relatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints

Structured sections

Colors

[
  {
    "slug": "carbon-fiber",
    "name": "Carbon Fiber",
    "hex": "#1C1C1C",
    "rgb": [
      28,
      28,
      28
    ],
    "hsl": [
      0,
      0,
      11
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      0,
      0,
      89
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "dark"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.0116,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 1.23,
      "white": 17.05
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 17.05
    },
    "description": "Carbon Fiber is #1C1C1C, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Matte 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-fiber/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-fiber.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 Fiber, 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/matte-black/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 3.5,
  "contrastRatio": 1.02,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 0,
    "saturation": 0,
    "lightness": 1
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0013,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "dark"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Carbon Fiber",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Carbon Fiber"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Carbon Fiber",
      "background": "#1C1C1C",
      "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 17.05
    },
    {
      "color": "Matte Black",
      "background": "#1A1A1A",
      "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 17.41
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Carbon Fiber is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #1C1C1C.",
  "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."
}

Related API

[
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/carbon-fiber-vs-matte-black.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-fiber.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "carbon-fiber-vs-matte-black",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Carbon Fiber vs Matte Black",
  "verdict": "Carbon Fiber and Matte Black are very close colors. Carbon Fiber is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Carbon Fiber and Matte Black are different gray colors with HEX values #1C1C1C and #1A1A1A. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 3.5, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 3.5,
  "contrastRatio": 1.02,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "carbon-fiber",
      "name": "Carbon Fiber",
      "hex": "#1C1C1C",
      "rgb": [
        28,
        28,
        28
      ],
      "hsl": [
        0,
        0,
        11
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        0,
        0,
        89
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "dark"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.0116,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 1.23,
        "white": 17.05
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 17.05
      },
      "description": "Carbon Fiber is #1C1C1C, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Matte 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-fiber/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-fiber.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 Fiber, 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/matte-black/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 3.5,
    "contrastRatio": 1.02,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 0,
      "saturation": 0,
      "lightness": 1
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0013,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "dark"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Carbon Fiber",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Carbon Fiber"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Carbon Fiber",
        "background": "#1C1C1C",
        "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 17.05
      },
      {
        "color": "Matte Black",
        "background": "#1A1A1A",
        "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 17.41
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Carbon Fiber is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #1C1C1C.",
    "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-fiber-vs-matte-black.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carbon-fiber.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/matte-black.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/carbon-fiber-vs-matte-black/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/carbon-fiber-vs-matte-black.json"
}