#121212 Color

#121212 is rgb(18, 18, 18) in RGB, hsl(0, 0%, 7%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 93%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Soft Black (#131313), indistinguishable to the eye at ΔE 0.42. White text is the more readable choice on this background.

#121212

HEX#121212

RGBrgb(18, 18, 18)

HSLhsl(0, 0%, 7%)

HSVhsv(0, 0%, 7%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 93%)

OKLCHoklch(18.2% 0 0)

LABlab(5.46% -0.00 0.00)

LCHlch(5.46% 0.00 0.00)

What #121212 Is Called

Most hex codes have no name: there are 16.7 million of them and a few thousand registered names. These are the named colors nearest to #121212, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.

Soft Black#131313ΔE 0.42 Jet Black#0A0A0AΔE 2.72 Smoky Black#100C08ΔE 2.95 Vampire Black#080808ΔE 3.27 Off Black#1A1A1AΔE 3.8 Eerie Black#1B1B1BΔE 4.3

Browse the full index of named colors A-Z or every black in the library.

#121212 Channel Values

How #121212 breaks down in each color model. Hue is measured in degrees around the color wheel; saturation, lightness, and the CMYK inks are percentages.

Model	Channels	Notes
RGB	R 18 · G 18 · B 18	8-bit channels as sent to the display
HSL	H 0° · S 0% · L 7%	Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSV	H 0° · S 0% · V 7%	Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYK	C 0% · M 0% · Y 0% · K 93%	Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance	18.73:1 vs white · 1.12:1 vs black	WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #121212 background. AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1. Contrast is one check, not a full accessibility review.

TextWhite text18.73:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Fails AABlack text1.12:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #121212 in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With #121212

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #121212; analogous colors sit beside it; triadic and split-complementary sets spread evenly around the wheel. Select any swatch for its own breakdown.

Base

Complementary

Analogous

Analogous

Triadic

Triadic

Split comp.

Split comp.

Tints & Shades of #121212

Lighter tints and darker shades built by moving the lightness channel while holding hue and saturation, which is what you want for hover states, backgrounds, and text variants.

Tints

Shades

Want a full 50-950 ramp with semantic roles? Generate design tokens from #121212.

How #121212 Looks with Color Vision Deficiency

Simulated with the Viénot, Brettel & Mollon LMS projection model. Anomalous types are rendered as partial versions of the matching dichromacy, which is an approximation rather than a per-person clinical model.

Typical#121212

Protanopia#121212

Protanomaly#121212

Deuteranopia#121212

Deuteranomaly#121212

Tritanopia#121212

Tritanomaly#121212

Achromatopsia#121212

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #121212 in Code

Copy-ready declarations for the places this color usually ends up.

CSS custom property--color-121212: #121212;

CSS backgroundbackground-color: #121212;

Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-121212': '#121212' }

SwiftUIColor(red: 0.071, green: 0.071, blue: 0.071)

Android XML<color name="color_121212">#121212</color>

SVG fillfill="#121212"

More Black Colors

#121212 sits in the black family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

030303 242424 050505 242124 080808 212121 0a0a0a 1c1c1c 0d0d0d 1b1b1b 0f0f0f 1a1a1a 131313 171717 18181b 000000

#121212 Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #121212?

#121212 is a darkest black — rgb(18, 18, 18) in RGB and hsl(0, 0%, 7%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Soft Black (#131313), which is indistinguishable to the eye at a CIE76 distance of 0.42.

What is the RGB value of #121212?

#121212 is rgb(18, 18, 18) — red 18, green 18, and blue 18 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #121212?

#121212 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 93%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #121212 be black or white?

White text is the more readable choice. #121212 scores 18.73:1 against white and 1.12:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #121212 as a CSS color keyword?

No. #121212 is not one of the CSS color keywords, so it has to be written as a hex, rgb() or hsl() value. The closest keyword is black (#000000) at a CIE76 distance of 5.46, which is clearly related but distinguishable side by side.

Open #121212 in a Tool

Hex to RGB Hex to HSL Hex to CMYK Hex to OKLCH Hex to Pantone Build a palette Make a gradient

Keep exploring: every black in the color library, the guide to shades of black, or the full color library.