Charcoal Gray Color Code: #3C4142, RGB & HSL

Charcoal Gray color values

HEX #3C4142

RGB rgb(60, 65, 66)

HSL hsl(190, 5%, 25%)

HSV 190, 9%, 26%

HWB hwb(190 24% 74%)

CMYK 9%, 2%, 0%, 74%

Decimal 3948866

25%HSL lightness (dark)

5%HSL saturation (nearly neutral)

190°Hue angle (cyan)

0.051Relative luminance

CMYK is a standard screen-to-print conversion. Printed results depend on inks, paper and color profiles.

What is Charcoal Gray?

“Charcoal Gray” is a crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey, in which participants typed names for colors they were shown. It is a popular everyday label rather than an official standard.

Its saturation is only 5%, so it behaves as a neutral, with 5% saturation (nearly neutral) and 25% lightness (dark). It has a neutral temperature.

Compared with the other gray colors in the Aqeeb Studio library, it is lighter than 8% of them and more saturated than 33% of them.

Its relative luminance is 0.051, which makes it a dark color. That is below the 0.179 crossover point at which black and white text have equal contrast, so white text has the advantage.

Charcoal Gray counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 25% and its relative luminance is 0.051. White text reads comfortably on it (10.36:1 contrast).

Text contrast on Charcoal Gray

WCAG contrast of white and black text on Charcoal Gray
Text	Preview	Ratio	AA normal	AA large	AAA normal	AAA large
White text	Sample text	10.36:1 Excellent	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Black text	Sample text	2.02:1 Poor	Fail	Fail	Fail	Fail

Ratios use the WCAG 2 formula and are truncated, never rounded up. Test any pair with the contrast checker.

Colors that go with Charcoal Gray

Complementary color

Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart). They give the strongest hue contrast, which suits calls to action and accents.

≈ Charcoal#423D3C

Analogous colors

Analogous colors are neighbors on the wheel, 30° either side of the base hue. They blend smoothly and are easy to combine in backgrounds, gradients and illustrations.

≈ Charcoal#3C4240 ≈ Charcoal#3C3E42

Triadic colors

A triadic scheme uses three hues spaced 120° apart. It is lively yet balanced, and works best when one color leads and the other two act as accents.

≈ Charcoal#423C41 ≈ Charcoal#41423C

Split-complementary colors

Split-complementary keeps the base color and uses the two colors on either side of its complement (150° and 210°). The contrast is strong but gentler than a direct complement.

≈ Charcoal#423C3E ≈ Charcoal#42403C

Tetradic colors

A tetradic (rectangle) scheme combines two complementary pairs at 0°, 60°, 180° and 240°. It offers variety but needs one dominant color to stay balanced.

≈ Charcoal#3D3C42 ≈ Charcoal#423D3C ≈ Charcoal#41423C

Monochromatic variants

Monochromatic variants keep the same hue and saturation and only change lightness, which makes them dependable for UI scales and subtle layered designs.

#0F1010#0F1010

#313535#313535

#53595B#53595B

#757E80#757E80

#99A1A3#99A1A3

A “≈” before a name means the exact harmony color has no named match, so the link goes to the closest named color.

Tints and shades of Charcoal Gray

Lighter tints (mixed with white)

Darker shades (mixed with black)

Select any swatch to copy its HEX code. Build longer scales with the tints and shades tool.

Charcoal#343837 Dark Slate Gray#2F4F4F Dark Blue Gray#1F3B4D Gunmetal#536267 Dark Gray Blue#29465B Slate#516572 Dim Gray#696969 Dark Teal#014D4E

Where to use Charcoal Gray

Button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (10.36:1 contrast)
Calm backgrounds, editorial layouts and understated UI elements
Neutral page backgrounds
Tables, cards and dashboards
Body text, borders and dividers
Secondary buttons and disabled states

Use Charcoal Gray in CSS

:root {
  --color-charcoal-gray: #3C4142;
}

.element {
  color: var(--color-charcoal-gray);
  background-color: #3C4142;
  border: 2px solid #3C4142;
}

Questions about Charcoal Gray

What is the HEX code for Charcoal Gray?

Charcoal Gray is #3C4142.

What is the RGB value of Charcoal Gray?

The RGB value of Charcoal Gray is 60, 65, 66: 60 red, 65 green and 66 blue on a 0–255 scale, written rgb(60, 65, 66) in CSS.

What is the HSL value of Charcoal Gray?

The HSL value of Charcoal Gray is 190°, 5%, 25% (hue, saturation, lightness), written hsl(190, 5%, 25%) in CSS.

What is the CMYK value of Charcoal Gray?

A standard conversion gives about C 9%, M 2%, Y 0%, K 74%. Real print results depend on the inks, paper and color profile, so treat CMYK here as a reference value.

Is Charcoal Gray a light or dark color?

Charcoal Gray counts as a dark color: its HSL lightness is 25% and its relative luminance is 0.051. White text reads comfortably on it (10.36:1 contrast).

How does Charcoal Gray look with white text?

White text on Charcoal Gray has a contrast ratio of 10.36:1, rated Excellent. It meets WCAG AA for normal text.

How does Charcoal Gray look with black text?

Black text on Charcoal Gray has a contrast ratio of 2.02:1, rated Poor. It falls below the WCAG minimum for text.

What colors go well with Charcoal Gray?

Charcoal is its complementary color, and Charcoal sits beside it as an analogous color. Lighter and darker variants of the same hue also work well for monochromatic palettes.

Where can Charcoal Gray be used?

It suits button, banner and badge backgrounds with white text (10.36:1 contrast); calm backgrounds, editorial layouts and understated UI elements; neutral page backgrounds.

How do I use Charcoal Gray in CSS?

Use color: #3C4142; for text, background-color: #3C4142; for fills, or define a custom property such as --color-charcoal-gray: #3C4142; and reuse it with var(--color-charcoal-gray).

About this color page

Crowd-sourced name from the XKCD Color Survey (CC0). Values are calculated from the HEX code; color names are labels, not trademarks or standards unless stated. Screens render colors differently, so always check important colors on your own device. See the disclaimer.

Charcoal Gray Color Code: #3C4142