#2A2A2AThe End (#2A2A2A) is a near-black neutral with an OKLCH hue of 90°, lightness 0.29 and chroma 0. In practice it behaves as a grounding tone — suited to text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces.
| HEX | #2A2A2A |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(42, 42, 42) |
| HSL | hsl(0, 0%, 16%) |
| HSV | hsv(0, 0%, 16%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 84%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(17.1 0 0) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.285 0.000 90) |
Under warm 2700K interior light The End 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.
#2c2927 — ΔE 0.6, is virtually unchanged#2c2a29 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchanged#2a2a2a — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#2a2a2b — ΔE 0.2, is virtually unchangedTest The End 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 14.35:1 and against black 1.46:1, 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 · #2a2a2a · #141414 · #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.
#4f755b · #48623f · #434f23 · #3e3b04 · #2a2a2a · #2d1a00
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.
#abc0a8 · #a8996f · #62875e · #6d5d33 · #384936 · #2a2a2a
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.
#aca694 · #8d846b · #495784 · #2a2a2a · #141005 · #0b0500
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#eff2f9 · #b6b2a8 · #75777c · #454136 · #2a2a2a · #13151a
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 · #2a2a2a · #030303 · #e7c04d
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#edf2ff · #a3b2da · #6675a4 · #343f63 · #2a2a2a · #1b1401
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#edf2ff · #90b8d5 · #7e6d9d · #1d455f · #2a2a2a · #181123
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#e1f6fa · #85bec8 · #91678d · #543451 · #2a2a2a · #00191e
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#e3f7f2 · #88c0b4 · #6675a4 · #5c3240 · #2a2a2a · #0e1426
#4e4e4e · #717171 · #959595 · #b8b8b8 · #dcdcdc
#232323 · #1c1c1c · #151515 · #0e0e0e · #070707
As a deep tone it works for grounding elements — text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces — rather than open fields.