#151515Matt Black (#151515) is a near-black neutral with an OKLCH hue of 90°, lightness 0.2 and chroma 0. In practice it behaves as a grounding tone — suited to text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces.
| HEX | #151515 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(21, 21, 21) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 8%) |
| HSV | hsv(0, 0%, 8%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 92%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(6.8 0 0) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.196 0.000 90) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Matt Black is virtually unchanged; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.5), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#161413 — ΔE 0.5, is virtually unchanged#161514 — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchanged#151515 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#151515 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchangedTest Matt Black 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 18.26:1 and against black 1.15:1, 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 · #151515 · #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.
#3e6d5d · #355b42 · #304926 · #2c3708 · #272400 · #151515
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.
#8fa48c · #8d7e55 · #496d45 · #544519 · #223220 · #151515
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.
#b3ac9a · #948a71 · #495784 · #342f22 · #151515 · #0b0500
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#eff2f9 · #bfbbb0 · #85878c · #5a564b · #282a30 · #151515
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 · #3f3f3f · #151515 · #e7c04d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#edf2ff · #acbae3 · #7585b5 · #48557a · #322913 · #151515
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#edf2ff · #98c1de · #8e7dae · #335b76 · #2d263a · #151515
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e1f6fa · #8ec6d0 · #a1779d · #6b4967 · #102f34 · #151515
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e3f7f2 · #91c8bc · #7585b5 · #744755 · #23293d · #151515
#3c3c3c · #636363 · #8a8a8a · #b1b1b1 · #d8d8d8
#121212 · #0e0e0e · #0b0b0b · #070707 · #040404
As a deep tone it works for grounding elements — text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces — rather than open fields.