#212121 Color

#212121 is rgb(33, 33, 33) in RGB, hsl(0, 0%, 13%) in HSL, and about cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 87%) in CMYK. It has no registered color name of its own — the closest is Raisin Black (#242124), very hard to tell apart at ΔE 2.54. White text is the more readable choice on this background.

#212121

HEX#212121

RGBrgb(33, 33, 33)

HSLhsl(0, 0%, 13%)

HSVhsv(0, 0%, 13%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 87%)

OKLCHoklch(24.8% 0 0)

LABlab(12.74% -0.00 0.00)

LCHlch(12.74% 0.00 0.00)

What #212121 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 #212121, ordered by CIE76 distance in CIELAB. Anything under about ΔE 2 is a difference most people cannot see.

Raisin Black#242124ΔE 2.54 Eerie Black#1B1B1BΔE 2.97 Off Black#1A1A1AΔE 3.48 Dark Jungle Green#1A2421ΔE 5.25 Charcoal Black#232B2BΔE 5.55 Traffic Black#2A2D2FΔE 5.85

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

#212121 Channel Values

How #212121 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 33 · G 33 · B 33	8-bit channels as sent to the display
HSL	H 0° · S 0% · L 13%	Easiest model for building lighter and darker variants
HSV	H 0° · S 0% · V 13%	Matches the picker in most design tools
CMYK	C 0% · M 0% · Y 0% · K 87%	Approximate ink mix; confirm with an ICC profile before printing
Luminance	16.1:1 vs white · 1.3:1 vs black	WCAG 2.2 relative-luminance contrast ratios

Text Contrast & Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratios for text on a #212121 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 text16.1:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Fails AABlack text1.3:1AA normal AA large AAA normal

Need a specific ratio against another background? Open #212121 in the contrast checker.

Colors That Go With #212121

Pairings derived from color-wheel relationships. The complementary color sits opposite #212121; 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 #212121

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 #212121.

How #212121 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#212121

Protanopia#212121

Protanomaly#212121

Deuteranopia#212121

Deuteranomaly#212121

Tritanopia#212121

Tritanomaly#212121

Achromatopsia#212121

Test a full palette in the color blindness simulator.

Using #212121 in Code

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

CSS custom property--color-212121: #212121;

CSS backgroundbackground-color: #212121;

Tailwind configcolors: { 'color-212121': '#212121' }

SwiftUIColor(red: 0.129, green: 0.129, blue: 0.129)

Android XML<color name="color_212121">#212121</color>

SVG fillfill="#212121"

More Black Colors

#212121 sits in the black family. These are its neighbours across that family's full range, each with its own breakdown.

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

#212121 Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #212121?

#212121 is a darkest black — rgb(33, 33, 33) in RGB and hsl(0, 0%, 13%) in HSL. It carries no registered color name of its own; the closest named color is Raisin Black (#242124), which is very hard to tell apart at a CIE76 distance of 2.54.

What is the RGB value of #212121?

#212121 is rgb(33, 33, 33) — red 33, green 33, and blue 33 on the 0-255 scale.

What is the CMYK value of #212121?

#212121 converts to approximately cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 87%). CMYK output is a mathematical approximation for planning; confirm production print colors with your printer and ICC profile.

Should text on #212121 be black or white?

White text is the more readable choice. #212121 scores 16.1:1 against white and 1.3:1 against black, and WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 for normal body text.

Can I write #212121 as a CSS color keyword?

No. #212121 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 12.74, which is visibly different.

Open #212121 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.