Color Details and Palettes for #2A2B28

Details about the color Bitter Liquorice

Closest web-safe match: #333333

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 #2A2B28
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About Color Hex #2a2b28

The color Bitter Liquorice, with hexadecimal code #2a2b28, 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 (4%), this color is effectively achromatic—a pure neutral that pairs with any hue without competition. At only 16% 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.

The RGB values for Bitter Liquorice are (42, 43, 40), providing a combination of red: 42, green: 43, and blue: 40. In HSL format, it has a hue of 80.00°, saturation of 4.00%, and lightness of 16.00%.

The HSV representation includes a hue of 80.00°, saturation of 7.00%, and value of 17.00%. Its CMYK composition is cyan: 2.00%, magenta: 0.00%, yellow: 7.00%, and black: 83.00%.

The calculated luminance of #2a2b28 is 0.024, offering a brightness level suitable for various design requirements.

This color is not part of the web-safe color palette. The closest web-safe color to this is the color HEX #333333. Its contrast ratio is 1.47:1 against black and 14.24:1 against white. It works well on light backgrounds but may be challenging on darker ones.

In terms of color temperature, #2a2b28 reads as neutral. When it comes to accessibility, testing against standard guidelines suggests that using white text meets typical WCAG contrast standards. Additionally, the ideal foreground color for improved legibility on #2a2b28 is white.

Considering its saturation and lightness, #2a2b28 appears more vivid and energetic, making it stand out in designs that aim to capture attention.

History, Usage, Psychology & Design Ideas for #2A2B28

Bitter Liquorice (#2A2B28) 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 16% 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.

#2A2B28 Color Conversions

Every way to write Bitter Liquorice — copy Bitter Liquorice as RGB, HSL, HSV, HWB, CMYK, OKLCH, OKLab, CIELAB, LCH, XYZ or a decimal integer. One-tap copy on every format; tap on any card to learn what it is and when to use it.

12 formats
HEX Web
#2A2B28

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, 43, 40)

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(80, 4%, 16%)

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(80, 7%, 17%)

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(80 16% 83%)

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(2%, 0%, 7%, 83%)

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(28.69% 0.006 121.80)

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

OKLab Modern
oklab(28.69% -0.003 0.005)

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: 17.34, a: -1.15, b: 1.79

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

LCH Perceptual
L: 17.34, C: 2.13, H: 122.76

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

XYZ CIE Science
X: 2.20, Y: 2.37, Z: 2.35

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
2763560

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

RGB Color Percentages for #2a2b28

RGB Color Percentages for Bitter Liquorice (HEX Code: #2a2b28) display the relative contribution of Red, Green, and Blue in forming the color. Understanding these percentages provides insight into the color's visual balance and primary components.

This color is primarily dominated by Green, making up 34.4% of the total composition. The complete breakdown of RGB contributions is:

Red:
33.6%
Green:
34.4%
Blue:
32%

This analysis highlights the influence of each primary color, offering a deeper understanding of the visual characteristics of Bitter Liquorice.

CMYK Ink Levels & Print Guide for #2a2b28

CMYK Ink Levels for Bitter Liquorice (HEX Code: #2a2b28) provide a breakdown of the percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks needed for accurate print reproduction. The composition of Bitter Liquorice prominently features Key, reflecting its dominant color characteristic. This information is invaluable for optimizing ink usage and achieving precise color results in printed materials.

The exact CMYK values are: Cyan: 2.33%, Magenta: 0%, Yellow: 6.98%, and Black: 83.14%.

Luminance & Contrast for #2A2B28

Relative luminance gauges how bright Bitter Liquorice is, while the WCAG contrast ratios show how legible black or white text is on it — and which accessibility levels (AA / AAA) it passes.

Relative luminance 0.024
0 · dark1 · light
Aa
Black text 1.47:1
AA AAA Large
Aa
White text 14.24:1
AA AAA Large

Quick CSS Snippets for #2A2B28

Copy-and-paste CSS for Bitter Liquorice — backgrounds, text, borders and a custom property. Each line is ready to drop into your stylesheet.

Background background-color: #2A2B28;
Text color: #2A2B28;
Border border: 2px solid #2A2B28;
RGB background-color: rgb(42, 43, 40);
HSL background-color: hsl(80, 4%, 16%);
Variable --color: #2A2B28;

#2a2b28 Monochrome Palette

The Monochrome Palette consists of shades created by adjusting the brightness. These include lighter, original, and darker shades of the color. This layout helps to visualize the color's range and its potential use in design.

#eaeae9
#cacac9
#aaaaa9
#8a8a89
#6a6b69
#4a4b48
#2a2b28 Original
#242522
#1d1e1c
#171816
#111110
#0b0b0a
#040404

#2a2b28 Complementary Palette

The Complementary Palette is made up of two colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel. These colors create high contrast and vibrant designs, making them perfect for attention-grabbing elements and dynamic visuals.

#2a2b28 Original
#28272a

#2a2b28 Analogic Palette

The Analogic Palette consists of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. These colors typically create harmonious and subtle designs, often used to evoke calmness and unity in your visual projects.

#2a2b28 Original
#282a27
#2a2a27
#272a28
#2a2827
#272a2a
#2a2728

#2a2b28 Triadic Palette

The Triadic Palette is made up of three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination provides a vibrant and balanced color scheme, often used for dynamic and energetic designs while maintaining harmony.

#2a2b28 Original
#27292a
#2a2729

#2a2b28 Quad Palette

The Quad Palette, also known as tetradic, consists of four colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. This combination offers a diverse and bold color scheme, ideal for creating rich, complex designs with multiple accents while still maintaining balance.

#2a2b28 Original
#272a2a
#28272a
#2a2728

Color Blindness Simulation for #2a2b28

Colors are perceived differently by individuals with various forms of color blindness. Use the dropdown below to see how this color may look through the eyes of someone with color vision deficiency. Explore how Bitter Liquorice (#2a2b28) might appear to people with different visual experiences, and gain deeper insights into color accessibility for your designs!

Each color box displays a "Friendly" or "Not Friendly" tag in the bottom-right corner. A "Friendly" tag indicates that the color difference is distinguishable to individuals with the specific type of color blindness. Conversely, a "Not Friendly" tag means that the color difference might not be distinguishable, potentially causing accessibility issues in your design.

Normal Vision

Deuteranopia (Green Weakness)

Friendly

Protanopia (Red Weakness)

Friendly

Tritanopia (Blue-Yellow Weakness)

Friendly

Achromatopsia (Total Color Blindness)

Friendly

Color Harmonies for #2a2b28

Color harmonies refer to the visually pleasing combinations of colors that are derived from specific relationships on the color wheel. These harmonious schemes, such as complementary, triadic, and analogous colors, create a balanced and engaging visual experience in design.

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Tetradic (Quad)

#2A2B28 Nearby Colors

A handful of colors just a step away from #2A2B28 — each one nudges the brightness, richness, or shade a little while still feeling like the same color. Use the buttons on any swatch to copy its hex or open its full color page.

#333333 Carbon
#222222 Lead
#444444 Black Panther
#111111 Dreamless Sleep
#223322 Nightmare
#333322 Graphite

Colors Similar to #2a2b28

These colors are close neighbours of #2A2B28 in the RGB color space. Each subtle variation can produce a noticeably different mood in your design while remaining harmonious with the original Charcoal tone.

#2b2b28 The End
#2a2c28 Bitter Liquorice
#2a2b29 The End
#292b28 Bitter Liquorice
#2a2a28 The End
#2a2b27 Bitter Liquorice
#3b2b28 Mole
#2a3c28 Palm Leaf
#2a2b39 Haiti
#192b28 Aztec
#2a1a28 Black Cherry
#2a2b17 Marshland

Looking for more Charcoal shades? Browse Charcoal colors →

Explore Vibrant Images Featuring Bitter Liquorice (#2a2b28)

Discover a vibrant gallery of images that not only showcase the captivating hue of Bitter Liquorice, but also embody its unique mood and personality. Each carefully curated photo is selected to highlight the richness and diversity of this color, offering inspiration for design, art, and creative projects.