What is the hex code for Black?

Black is #111314. It appears in 23 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".

What does Black look like on white and black backgrounds?

Black (#111314) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 18.63:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 1.13:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Where does the color Black come from?

Black is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued neutral pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.

Can I use Black in my own design or brand?

Yes. The color name and hex value (#111314) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.

#111314

neutral · 23 palettes

Black

About Black

Black is a deep, near-neutral neutral tone. Its hex value is #111314 — that is RGB 17, 19, 20, or HSL 200°, 8%, 7%.

It holds 18.6:1 contrast against white, so Black works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 18.6:1; on black 1.1:1.)

Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Black appears in 23 combinations — most often paired with Orange, Raw Sienna and Yellow.

Palettes with Black

Black appears in 23 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours.

Showa era

Orange & Black

Plate 46 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Orange, Black.

Showa era

Sulpher Yellow & Black

Plate 52 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sulpher Yellow, Black.

Showa era

Yellow & Black

Plate 62 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow, Black.

Showa era

Warm Gray & Black

Plate 69 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Warm Gray, Black.

Showa era

Grenadine Pink & Black

Plate 112 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Grenadine Pink, Black.

Showa era

Carmine & Black

Plate 117 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Black.

Showa era

Rosolanc Purple & Orange +1

Plate 144 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Rosolanc Purple, Orange, Black.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & English Red +1

Plate 190 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, English Red, Black.

Showa era

Sudan Brown & Glaucous Green +1

Plate 207 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sudan Brown, Glaucous Green, Black.

Showa era

Jasper Red & Green +1

Plate 216 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Jasper Red, Green, Black.

Showa era

Carmine Red & Neutral Gray +1

Plate 221 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Neutral Gray, Black.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Burnt Sienna +2

Plate 242 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Burnt Sienna, Diamine Green, Black.

Showa era

Raw Sienna & Pyrite Yellow +2

Plate 255 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Pyrite Yellow, Calamine BLue, Black.

Showa era

Vinaceous Cinnamon & Orange +2

Plate 256 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vinaceous Cinnamon, Orange, Dull Viridian Green, Black.

Showa era

Raw Sienna & Pale Burnt Lake +2

Plate 269 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Pale Burnt Lake, Aconite Violet, Black.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Seashell Pink +2

Plate 276 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Seashell Pink, Yellow Green, Black.

Showa era

Yellow Orange & Sepia +2

Plate 288 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow Orange, Sepia, Taupe Brown, Black.

Showa era

Raw Sienna & Lemon Yellow +2

Plate 298 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Raw Sienna, Lemon Yellow, Peach Red, Black.

Showa era

Carmine & Yellow +2

Plate 313 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Yellow, Diamine Green, Black.

Showa era

Cinnamon Buff & Citron Yellow +2

Plate 323 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cinnamon Buff, Citron Yellow, Madder Brown, Black.

Showa era

Vistoris Lake & Laelia Pink +2

Plate 337 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vistoris Lake, Laelia Pink, Violet Carmine, Black.

Showa era

Peach Red & Sea Green +2

Plate 340 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Peach Red, Sea Green, Neutral Gray, Black.

Showa era

Cinnamon Buff & Deep Lyons Blue +2

Plate 344 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cinnamon Buff, Deep Lyons Blue, Aconite Violet, Black.

Embed this color

Drop a Black swatch card into any blog post, design review, or color-study reference page. Links back to this color's detail.

<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/colors/black/" width="360" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Black — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

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From the archive

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
378 museum SVG plates — print-ready at any size
Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues

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Black

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About Black

Palettes with Black

Orange & Black

Sulpher Yellow & Black

Yellow & Black

Warm Gray & Black

Grenadine Pink & Black

Carmine & Black

Rosolanc Purple & Orange +1

Ivory Buff & English Red +1

Sudan Brown & Glaucous Green +1

Jasper Red & Green +1

Carmine Red & Neutral Gray +1

Eosine Pink & Burnt Sienna +2

Raw Sienna & Pyrite Yellow +2

Vinaceous Cinnamon & Orange +2

Raw Sienna & Pale Burnt Lake +2

Eosine Pink & Seashell Pink +2

Yellow Orange & Sepia +2

Raw Sienna & Lemon Yellow +2

Carmine & Yellow +2

Cinnamon Buff & Citron Yellow +2

Vistoris Lake & Laelia Pink +2

Peach Red & Sea Green +2

Cinnamon Buff & Deep Lyons Blue +2

Embed this color

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.