BLACKS

Black

#040C25

RGB 4, 12, 37 · HSL 225°, 80%, 8% · CMYK 89, 68, 0, 85

Black is #040C25 in HEX — rgb(4, 12, 37), hsl(225°, 80%, 8%), cmyk(89%, 68%, 0%, 85%).

Black pulls into the deep end of the blacks spectrum — HSL 225°, 80%, 8%. The saturated saturation makes it bold and immediate, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on doors, frames, hardware, accent walls — for definition and gravitas. Reads best alongside warm white walls, oak, brass, leather.

Color Codes

HEX#040C25

RGB4, 12, 37

HSL225°, 80%, 8%

HSV225°, 89%, 15%

CMYK89, 68, 0, 85

Decimal265253

CSS RGBrgb(4, 12, 37)

CSS HSLhsl(225, 80%, 8%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

RAL

Saphire Blue 5003

ΔE 8.9 · #1D1E33

Dulux

Deep Universe S43C9

ΔE 16 · #2F2B3E

Kilz

Ruling Royalty TB-50

ΔE 17.4 · #313048

Benjamin Moore

Old 2063-10

ΔE 19.4 · #2F364A

Behr

Dark Burgundy Wine BXC-09

ΔE 19.6 · #353343

Sherwin-Williams

Anchors Aweigh SW9179

ΔE 19.7 · #2B3441

Vista Paint

Silent Sea C-514

ΔE 20.3 · #262627

Dutch Boy

Royal Blue D-6740

ΔE 20.8 · #1D375C

Hallman-Lindsay

Silent Sea 515

ΔE 21.6 · #2A2B2C

Dunn-Edwards

Old Mill DEA185

ΔE 21.7 · #343B4E

Kobra

Blue 31

ΔE 23.3 · #334059

IKEA

IKEA186 186

ΔE 23.5 · #302F2F

PPG

Victory Blue 1165-7

ΔE 23.8 · #3A405A

Valspar

Twilight Purple 4010-2

ΔE 24.2 · #3E3B46

Colorhouse

Nourish .06 Nourish-06

ΔE 24.6 · #313536

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black 256

ΔE 27.3 · #3B3938

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

0/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureCool MasstoneBlue UndertoneViolet

Reads as a cool blue with a violet undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.

Color Theory

Complementary

#040C25

#251D04

Analogous

#041D25

#040C25

#0C0425

Triadic

#040C25

#25040C

#0C2504

Split-Complementary

#040C25

#250C04

#1D2504

Tetradic

#040C25

#25041D

#251D04

#04250C

Monochromatic

#030817

#040C25

#0C236A

#133AAE

Rectangle

#040C25

#1D0425

#251D04

#0C2504

Compound

#040C25

#0C0425

#251D04

#1D2504

Variations

Lighter

#0D2879

#254BC0

#7F96DB

Darker

#03091E

#010615

#01040D

Saturation

#101219

#040C25

#020B27

Interior Use

Best Rooms

libraries, home offices, dramatic accents

Best Uses

doors, frames, hardware, accent walls

Pairs With

warm white walls, oak, brass, leather

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

19.36:1

AAA

vs Black

1.08:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#040C25

#010D25

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#040C25

#0B0B23

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#040C25

#00120E

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Dramatic · Grounding

Black reads as punctuation — it defines edges, draws a line under a room, and makes surrounding colors look more saturated. Use it sparingly on doors, frames, hardware, and the occasional accent wall.

SymbolismPower, sophistication, depth

PersonalityConfident, anchoring, definitive

dramaframedoortrimaccentdefinition

How it looks under different light

#423637

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#040C25

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#303B5B

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#E8E9EE

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F7F7F8

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#4D3E0F

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Aura Interior (for richer color depth in deep tones)

Recommended Finishes

Matte (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Satin (doors)

Deep colors look best in matte — gloss exaggerates surface flaws. Reserve subtle sheen for trim, doors, and high-touch areas.

Best Surfaces

Accent walls · Doors · Cabinetry · Built-ins

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Tinted primer in a similar value is highly recommended — saves a coat and prevents the wall colour from washing the surface.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #040C25;

CSS — background

background-color: #040C25;

CSS Variable

--color-black: #040C25;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'black': '#040C25' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#040C25] text-[#040C25]

SCSS

$black: #040C25;

Similar Colors

Old Navy

#2E3549 · ΔE 18.9

Bold Blue

#2B3558 · ΔE 20.0

Midnight Navy

#333356 · ΔE 20.2

Majestic Violet

#3A3450 · ΔE 20.3

Deep Royal

#2F394B · ΔE 20.8

Velvet Cloak

#382930 · ΔE 21.3

North Sea

#2B3B4C · ΔE 21.7

Symphony Blue

#203B5D · ΔE 21.8

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #040C25?

#040C25 is Black, a near-black black with a cool undertone.

Is #040C25 warm or cool?

Black reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Black?

Black works well in libraries, home offices, dramatic accents. Designers typically use it for doors, frames, hardware, accent walls.

What colors pair well with Black?

Black pairs naturally with warm white walls, oak, brass, leather. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Black?

You can download Black on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Black?

The hex code is #040C25. In RGB it's 4, 12, 37, and in HSL it's 225°, 80%, 8%.

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