#212121Lead (#212121) is a near-black neutral with an OKLCH hue of 90°, lightness 0.25 and chroma 0. In practice it behaves as a grounding tone — suited to text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces.
| HEX | #212121 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(33, 33, 33) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 13%) |
| HSV | hsv(0, 0%, 13%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 87%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(12.7 0 0) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.248 0.000 90) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Lead is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.6), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#23201e — ΔE 0.6, is virtually unchanged#232120 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchanged#212121 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#212122 — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchangedTest Lead in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 16.1:1 and against black 1.3:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black text on this color entirely.
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.
#9a9a9a · #757575 · #525252 · #313131 · #212121 · #010101
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.
#4d7c6c · #436a50 · #3d5834 · #394518 · #353100 · #212121
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.
#9fb49c · #9d8d64 · #577c53 · #625328 · #2f3f2d · #212121
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.
#c3bdaa · #a49a81 · #83795e · #495784 · #212121 · #0c0801
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#eff2f9 · #b2aea4 · #6e7075 · #3b372d · #212121 · #0b0d12
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.
#f2f2f2 · #c9c9c9 · #9c9c9c · #212121 · #030303 · #e7c04d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#edf2ff · #a0aed6 · #5f6e9c · #2a3558 · #212121 · #130c00
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#edf2ff · #8cb5d1 · #776696 · #123b55 · #212121 · #0f091a
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e1f6fa · #81bac4 · #896085 · #4a2b47 · #212121 · #001014
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e3f7f2 · #85bcb0 · #5f6e9c · #522836 · #212121 · #070b1d
#464646 · #6b6b6b · #909090 · #b5b5b5 · #dadada
#1c1c1c · #161616 · #111111 · #0b0b0b · #060606
As a deep tone it works for grounding elements — text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces — rather than open fields.