BLACKS
Absence of Light
#15151C
Absence of Light is #15151C in HEX — rgb(21, 21, 28), hsl(240°, 14%, 10%), cmyk(25%, 25%, 0%, 89%).
Absence of Light pulls into the deep end of the blacks spectrum — HSL 240°, 14%, 10%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, 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
Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands
RAL
Black Blue 5004
Dulux
Te Kuiti NZ10H1
Kilz
Deep Onyx TB-40
Vista Paint
Silent Sea C-514
Hallman-Lindsay
Silent Sea 515
Sherwin-Williams
Tricorn Black SW6258
IKEA
IKEA186 186
Behr
Beluga 770F-7
Benjamin Moore
Velvet CSP-480
Colorhouse
Nourish .06 Nourish-06
Dutch Boy
Dark Chocolate D-6782
Kobra
Black 44
Farrow & Ball
Pitch Black 256
Dunn-Edwards
Black DEA187
Valspar
Twilight Purple 4010-2
PPG
Wright Midnight FLLW36
Light Reflectance & Undertone
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
1/100
Very Dark
Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.
Undertone
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
Analogous
Triadic
Split-Complementary
Tetradic
Monochromatic
Rectangle
Compound
Variations
Lighter
Darker
Saturation
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)
Deuteranopia
Protanopia
Tritanopia
Color Psychology
Dramatic · Grounding
Absence of Light 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.
How it looks under different light
Pairs With
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
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
color: #15151C;background-color: #15151C;--color-absence-of-light: #15151C;colors: { 'absence-of-light': '#15151C' }bg-[#15151C] text-[#15151C]$absence-of-light: #15151C;Similar Colors
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 #15151C?
#15151C is Absence of Light, a near-black black with a cool undertone.
Is #15151C warm or cool?
Absence of Light reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.
What rooms work best with Absence of Light?
Absence of Light works well in libraries, home offices, dramatic accents. Designers typically use it for doors, frames, hardware, accent walls.
What colors pair well with Absence of Light?
Absence of Light pairs naturally with warm white walls, oak, brass, leather. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.
Where can I download Absence of Light?
You can download Absence of Light 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 Absence of Light?
The hex code is #15151C. In RGB it's 21, 21, 28, and in HSL it's 240°, 14%, 10%.
