Closest web-safe match: #333333

Color Details and Palettes for #2A2A32

Details about the color Jaguar#2A2A32

Conversions, palettes, contrast & design ideas for this color.

Charcoal family Neutral WCAG ink: white
HEX #2A2A32 RGB rgb(42, 42, 50) HSL hsl(240, 9%, 18%) CMYK cmyk(16%, 16%, 0%, 80%)

Color profile

About Color Hex #2A2A32

#2A2A32 is a neutral color from the Charcoal family, closest in name to “Jaguar”. In RGB it is rgb(42, 42, 50); in HSL, hsl(240, 9%, 18%).

The color Jaguar, with hexadecimal code #2a2a32, belongs to the charcoal family—a deep, warm neutral softer than black. Charcoal tones lend authority and understated elegance to any composition. Additionally, it evokes emotions such as Power, Elegance, Formality, Mystery and Authority. With negligible saturation (9%), this color is effectively achromatic—a pure neutral that pairs with any hue without competition. At only 18% lightness, this extremely dark shade approaches black, delivering maximum drama and contrast when paired with lighter elements. This color is ideal for designs that aim to express Power, Elegance, Formality, Mystery, or Authority. It can be effectively used in web design, branding, and marketing materials to attract attention and convey specific messages.

Key facts

RGB 42, 42, 50 red · green · blue HSL 240° 9% 18% hue · sat · light HSV 240° 16% 20% design-app pickers CMYK 16 16 0 80 print inks, % Luminance 0.024 0 dark → 1 light On black 1.48:1 ✕ AA contrast ratio On white 14.23:1 ✓ AA contrast ratio Web-safe #333333 closest web-safe Best text white ideal foreground Character Vivid neutral · charcoal family

The story of this color

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #2A2A32

Jaguar (#2A2A32) belongs to the Charcoal color family.

As an achromatic shade, this color carries a timeless, versatile neutrality that anchors any palette it joins.

Historical Background

Charcoal, the drawing medium, has been used since prehistoric cave art at Lascaux and Altamira—making it one of humanity's oldest creative tools. As a color, deep charcoal became fashionable in Victorian-era menswear and later in mid-century modern furniture upholstery, where it provided a softer alternative to stark black.

Design & Usage Tips

Charcoal is an excellent substitute for pure black in typography and backgrounds—it feels warmer and reduces eye strain on screens. Dark-mode interfaces frequently use charcoal (#222–#333) rather than true black (#000) to avoid OLED screen smearing and to soften contrast.

Psychological Impact

Charcoal communicates authority and gravitas without the starkness of black. It suggests understated confidence, making it ideal for luxury brands, law firms, and editorial publications that want sophistication without drama.

Its low lightness of 18% gives it a deep, intense presence. Deep tones like this excel as dark-mode backgrounds, header bars, and anywhere a sense of gravity or luxury is desired.

Creative Design Ideas

Use charcoal as a dark-mode background paired with crisp white text and a single vivid accent (electric blue, lime green, or coral). For print, charcoal paper stock with metallic foil stamping creates tactile, premium business cards and invitations.

Every format

#2A2A32 Color Conversions

Every way to write Jaguar — one-tap copy on every format; tap on any card to learn what it is and when to use it.

12 formats
HEX Web
#2A2A32

Hexadecimal is the web’s universal color notation — two digits each for red, green and blue. Drop it straight into HTML, CSS or any design tool.

RGB Screen
rgb(42, 42, 50)

RGB is the additive Red-Green-Blue model every screen uses to emit light. The default choice for websites, apps and on-screen UI.

HSL Web
hsl(240, 9%, 18%)

HSL breaks a color into Hue, Saturation and Lightness — the most intuitive way to lighten, darken or mute a color in CSS.

HSV HSB Design
hsv(240, 16%, 20%)

HSV (also called HSB) maps Hue, Saturation and Value/Brightness. It is the model behind the color pickers in Photoshop, Figma and most design apps.

HWB CSS 4
hwb(240 16% 80%)

HWB blends a pure hue with Whiteness and Blackness — a painter-friendly model added in CSS Color 4 for quick tints and shades.

CMYK Print
cmyk(16%, 16%, 0%, 80%)

CMYK is the subtractive Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black ink model. Use these values when preparing artwork for a printer or commercial press.

OKLCH Modern
oklch(28.83% 0.014 285.46)

OKLCH is a modern, perceptually-uniform space (Lightness, Chroma, Hue). It powers smooth gradients and accessible palettes in today’s CSS.

OKLab Modern
oklab(28.83% 0.004 -0.014)

OKLab is the Cartesian form of OKLCH — ideal for blending and interpolating colors without the muddy midpoints older spaces produce.

CIELAB L*a*b* Perceptual
L: 17.36, a: 2.05, b: -5.17

CIELAB is a device-independent, perceptually-uniform space. It is the standard for measuring color difference (ΔE) and matching across devices.

LCH Perceptual
L: 17.36, C: 5.56, H: 291.60

LCH is CIELAB in cylindrical form — Lightness, Chroma and Hue — letting you adjust vividness and hue while staying perceptually even.

XYZ CIE Science
X: 2.36, Y: 2.38, Z: 3.35

CIE XYZ is the 1931 master space that underpins every other model here — the scientific bridge used to convert between color systems.

Decimal int Code
2763314

The 24-bit integer value of the color — handy for databases, APIs, game engines and low-level graphics code.

Channel breakdown

RGB Color Percentages for #2A2A32

How much red, green and blue light mixes into Jaguar.

Red 42/255 31.3% Green 42/255 31.3% Blue 50/255 37.3%

Percentages show each channel's share of the total light (R + G + B) in Jaguar.

Ink coverage

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #2A2A32

Ink needed to reproduce Jaguar in four-color print. Heaviest ink: Key (Black).

16% CYAN 16% MAGENTA 0% YELLOW 80% KEY

Print tip: treat these values as a starting point — final output depends on printer profile, paper stock and calibration.

Accessibility · WCAG

Luminance & Contrast for #2A2A32

How bright Jaguar is, and how far black and white text clear each WCAG bar.

Relative luminance 0.024
0 · dark1 · light

Contrast ratio · 1:1 → 21:1 (log scale)

Aa Black text 1.48:1 ✕ AA ✕ AAA ✕ Large
Aa White text 14.23:1 ✓ AA ✓ AAA ✓ Large

Developer shortcuts

Quick CSS Snippets for #2A2A32

Copy-and-paste CSS for Jaguar — per-line copy, or grab the whole block.

jaguar.css
background-color: #2A2A32;
color: #2A2A32;
border: 2px solid #2A2A32;
background-color: rgb(42, 42, 50);
background-color: hsl(240, 9%, 18%);
--color: #2A2A32;

Shades · light to dark

#2A2A32 Monochrome Palette

Lighter and darker steps of Jaguar — the color's full brightness range in one strip.

#EAEAEA
#CACACC
#AAAAAD
#8A8A8E
#6A6A70
#4A4A51
#2A2A32
#24242B
#1D1D23
#17171C
#111114
#0B0B0D
#040405

The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.

Harmony · 180° apart

#2A2A32 Complementary Palette

Two colors opposite on the wheel — maximum contrast for attention-grabbing accents.

#2A2A32
#32322A

The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.

Harmony · adjacent hues

#2A2A32 Analogic Palette

Neighboring hues on the wheel — harmonious, calm combinations that feel unified.

#2A2A32
#2E2A32
#2A2E32
#322A32
#2A3232
#322A2E
#2A322E

The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.

Harmony · 120° apart

#2A2A32 Triadic Palette

Three colors evenly spaced on the wheel — vibrant and energetic, yet balanced.

#2A2A32
#322A2A
#2A322A

The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.

Harmony · 90° apart

#2A2A32 Quad Palette

Four colors evenly spaced on the wheel (tetradic) — rich schemes with multiple accents.

#2A2A32
#322A2E
#32322A
#2A322E

The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex or open its color page.

Accessibility

Color Blindness Simulation for #2A2A32

How Jaguar reads across five kinds of color vision — a ✓ Friendly verdict means the color difference stays distinguishable for that vision type.

#2A2A32
#2A2A30
#2A2A30
#2A2F2E
#2B2B2B
Normal vision full color Deuteranopia green weakness ✓ Friendly Protanopia red weakness ✓ Friendly Tritanopia blue-yellow weakness ✓ Friendly Achromatopsia total color blindness ✓ Friendly

The dot marks the original color. Hover any shade to copy its hex.

Harmony overview

Color Harmonies for #2A2A32

The lead color from each harmony scheme, side by side — a shortcut to the full palettes above.

#32322A
#2E2A32
#322A2A
#322A2E
Complementary opposite hue Analogous adjacent hue Triadic 120° apart Tetradic (Quad) 90° apart

Perceptually nearby

#2A2A32 Nearby Colors

A step away in brightness, richness or shade — each still feels like the same color.

Shuriken#333344
Lead#222222
Gun Powder#444455
Dreamless Sleep#111111
Black Market#222244
Carbon#333333
Voodoo#332233
Black Velvet#222233

From the color-name library

Colors Similar to #2A2A32

The closest named colors to #2A2A32 — same mood, each with its own character.

Jaguar#29292F
Anthracite#28282D
Night Sky#292B31
Haiti#2C2A35
Darth Vader#27252A
Caviar#2B2C30
Infinity#222831
Witches Cauldron#35343F
Jet Black#353337
Ebony#313337
Noble Black#202124
Ink Black#252024

Looking for more Charcoal shades? Browse Charcoal colors →

Inspiration

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Jaguar (#2a2a32)

Curated Unsplash photos that carry the mood of Jaguar — hover any tile to download it or view the original.

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions about #2A2A32

#2A2A32 is a neutral color from the Charcoal family. Its closest matched name is “Jaguar”, matched perceptually with the CIEDE2000 color-difference formula. In RGB it is rgb(42, 42, 50); in HSL, hsl(240, 9%, 18%).
In RGB, #2A2A32 is rgb(42, 42, 50); in HSL it is hsl(240, 9%, 18%); and in CMYK — the model used for print — it is cmyk(16%, 16%, 0%, 80%).
#2A2A32 has a contrast ratio of 1.48:1 against black and 14.23:1 against white. For readability, white body text meets the WCAG AA threshold of 4.5:1 on it, while black does not.
The direct complement of #2A2A32 is #32322A (opposite on the color wheel). For ready-made combinations, this page includes monochrome, analogous, triadic and tetradic palettes built from #2A2A32 in the palette sections above.
The closest named colors to #2A2A32 are Jaguar (#29292F), Anthracite (#28282D), Night Sky (#292B31), Haiti (#2C2A35).