#0A0502Liquorice (#0A0502) is a near-black neutral with an OKLCH hue of 64°, lightness 0.12 and chroma 0.016. In practice it behaves as a grounding tone — suited to text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces.
| HEX | #0A0502 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(10, 5, 2) |
| HSL | hsl(23, 67%, 2%) |
| HSV | hsv(23, 80%, 4%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 50%, 80%, 96%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(1.6 0.9 1.6) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.122 0.016 64) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Liquorice is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.3), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#0a0502 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#0b0502 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchanged#0a0502 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#0a0502 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchangedTest Liquorice 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 20.28:1 and against black 1.04:1, 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.
#a49f9b · #7f7975 · #5c5651 · #3b352f · #1d1711 · #0a0502
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.
#3a5639 · #34441f · #2f3102 · #271f00 · #1c0f00 · #0a0502
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.
#858a6e · #826244 · #4c521e · #4a2b0a · #1a1d07 · #0a0502
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.
#75a4c9 · #807265 · #655240 · #483421 · #251b12 · #0a0502
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#ecf3f8 · #bcb3ac · #787d81 · #4f463e · #14191e · #0a0502
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.
#f5f1ee · #cec9c5 · #a29d99 · #2d2722 · #0a0502 · #f39f48
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e7f4ff · #95bad9 · #5481a6 · #274b67 · #251505 · #0a0502
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#e7f4ff · #89c0cd · #6e79a9 · #10505c · #13172a · #0a0502
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e2f7f3 · #8ac2b9 · #8571a1 · #4f3f63 · #001e1b · #0a0502
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e7f7eb · #98c1a4 · #5481a6 · #5c3a56 · #081a29 · #0a0502
#2A231E · #4E4842 · #756F6A · #9E9995 · #CAC6C3
#0A0502 · #0A0603 · #0A0603 · #0A0604 · #0A0604
As a deep tone it works for grounding elements — text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces — rather than open fields. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.