About Black
Black (black) is a very dark, muted black with the hex code #000000, or rgb(0, 0, 0). In HSL it sits at a hue of 0°, 0% saturation and 0% lightness. It is one of the 148 named colors every browser understands, so you can write color: black; instead of the hex value.
Using Black for text and backgrounds
| Pairing | Contrast ratio | WCAG |
|---|---|---|
| Black text on white | 21.00 : 1 | AAA |
| Black text on black | 1.00 : 1 | fails |
On a black background, use white text (21.00 : 1). WCAG asks for at least 4.5 : 1 for body text and 3 : 1 for large text. Check other pairs with the Contrast Checker.
CSS
.element {
color: black; /* or #000000 */
background-color: #000000;
border: 1px solid rgb(0 0 0 / 50%);
}Similar named colors
Dark Green (#006400), Midnight Blue (#191970), Dark Slate Gray (#2f4f4f), Green (#008000), Maroon (#800000), Navy (#000080).
Color Name FinderPaste a HEX code to get its closest human-readable name and clean token names for your CSS, SCSS, JavaScript or Tailwind config.
Open the tool Frequently asked questions
What is the hex code for black?
#000000 — that is rgb(0, 0, 0) and hsl(0, 0%, 0%). In CSS you can also just write black.
Is black text readable on white?
Its contrast ratio on white is 21.00 : 1, which passes WCAG AA for normal text.
What colors go well with black?
Black is a neutral, so it pairs with almost any color; use it for backgrounds, borders and text around a stronger accent.