Black Olive `#3B3C36`

Black Olive (#3B3C36) is a grey neutral with an OKLCH hue of 115°, lightness 0.35 and chroma 0.01. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.

Color values

HEX	`#3B3C36`
RGB	`rgb(59, 60, 54)`
HSL	`hsl(70, 5%, 22%)`
HSV	`hsv(70, 10%, 24%)`
CMYK	`cmyk(2%, 0%, 10%, 76%)`
CIE Lab	`lab(25 -1.7 3.6)`
OKLCH	`oklch(0.353 0.010 115)`

How Black Olive behaves under real light

Under warm 2700K interior light Black Olive is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.8), so it is a lighting-stable choice.

Warm interior (2700K incandescent / warm LED): → #3e3a32 — ΔE 0.8, is virtually unchanged
Neutral LED (4000K task and retail lighting): → #3d3c35 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchanged
Daylight (6500K standard daylight (reference)): → #3b3c36 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged
Blue-sky shade (cool daylight (~10000K proxy)): → #3b3c37 — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchanged

Test Black Olive in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.

Contrast & accessibility

Against white it measures 11.14:1 and against black 1.89:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black text on this color entirely.

Colors that go with Black Olive

Tonal

One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.

#999a95 · #747570 · #51524c · #3b3c36 · #13140f · #010100

Analogous

The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.

#4c7863 · #436646 · #3e5329 · #3b3c36 · #362d00 · #2c1d00

Shifted

The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.

#97b8a9 · #8f956a · #438169 · #425d52 · #3b3c36 · #222500

Contrast

One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.

#bbbeab · #989c82 · #6f6494 · #3b3c36 · #202115 · #080900

Quiet Support

The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.

#f2f1f8 · #b9bbb0 · #858489 · #535549 · #3b3c36 · #25242a

Bright Accent

This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.

#f2f2ef · #c8c9c6 · #3b3c36 · #22231e · #030402 · #c2cf4e

Complementary

The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.

#f2efff · #bcb3dd · #877cae · #564c73 · #3b3c36 · #242711

Split-complementary

The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.

#f2efff · #a7bae1 · #9c759e · #425377 · #3b3c36 · #2e1e2f

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.

#e4f5ff · #95c1db · #a97287 · #6f4455 · #3b3c36 · #112834

Tetradic

Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.

#e1f7f9 · #8cc6cc · #877cae · #734542 · #3b3c36 · #262135

Tints, shades & muted variants

Tints

#575852 · #747570 · #92938F · #B2B3AF · #D3D4D1

Shades

#32322D · #282924 · #1F201C · #171714 · #0F0F0C

Using Black Olive

Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors.