NEUTRALS

Black Tortoise

#353235

RGB 53, 50, 53 · HSL 300°, 3%, 20% · CMYK 0, 6, 0, 79

Black Tortoise is #353235 in HEX — rgb(53, 50, 53), hsl(300°, 3%, 20%), cmyk(0%, 6%, 0%, 79%).

Black Tortoise pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 300°, 3%, 20%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on main walls, trims, ceilings — versatile across nearly any style. Reads best alongside soft whites, natural wood, matte black trim, linen.

Color Codes

HEX#353235

RGB53, 50, 53

HSL300°, 3%, 20%

HSV300°, 6%, 21%

CMYK0, 6, 0, 79

Decimal3486261

CSS RGBrgb(53, 50, 53)

CSS HSLhsl(300, 3%, 20%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Sherwin-Williams

Domino SW6989

ΔE 0.9 · #353337

Dulux

Klavier SG6F9

ΔE 1.1 · #363436

Benjamin Moore

Carbon 2117-10

ΔE 1.9 · #393638

IKEA

IKEA186 186

ΔE 2.8 · #302F2F

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 3 · #383737

Vista Paint

In the Dark K-776

ΔE 3 · #36373C

Hallman-Lindsay

Sayward Pine historic-sayward-pine

ΔE 3.1 · #383839

Behr

Black Garnet N110-7

ΔE 3.3 · #38363D

Colorhouse

Nourish .06 Nourish-06

ΔE 3.5 · #313536

Kilz

Spice Brown TB-30

ΔE 3.8 · #372F2E

Dunn-Edwards

Black DEA187

ΔE 4 · #3B3A3A

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black 256

ΔE 4 · #3B3938

RAL

Umbra Grey 7022

ΔE 4.3 · #332F2C

Valspar

Dark Kettle Black 4011-2

ΔE 6.2 · #3F4043

PPG

Black Magic 1001-7

ΔE 6.4 · #414040

Dutch Boy

Dark Chocolate D-6782

ΔE 7.9 · #392A27

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

3/100

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

TemperatureNeutral MasstonePink UndertoneRed

A near-neutral with a subtle neutral red undertone — it will pick up colour from surrounding surfaces and shift noticeably under different light.

Color Theory

Complementary

#353235

#313531

Analogous

#333135

#353235

#353133

Triadic

#353235

#353531

#313535

Split-Complementary

#353235

#333531

#313533

Tetradic

#353235

#353331

#313531

#313335

Monochromatic

#0D0C0D

#353235

#5C575C

#837C83

Rectangle

#353235

#353131

#313531

#313535

Compound

#353235

#353133

#313531

#313533

Variations

Lighter

#5F595F

#888188

#B9B6B9

Darker

#2A282A

#1D1B1D

#111011

Saturation

#333333

#353135

#4D194D

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens

Best Uses

main walls, trim, accents

Pairs With

soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

12.66:1

AAA

vs Black

1.66:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#353235

#333335

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#353235

#333335

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#353235

#353332

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Black Tortoise gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm

PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless

versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall

How it looks under different light

#675243

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#353235

Daylight 5500K

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

#545767

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEB

Trim

Matched off-white

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

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

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

#223922

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: #353235;

CSS — background

background-color: #353235;

CSS Variable

--color-black-tortoise: #353235;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'black-tortoise': '#353235' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#353235] text-[#353235]

SCSS

$black-tortoise: #353235;

Similar Colors

Carbon Copy

#383537 · ΔE 1.5

Universal Black

#353435 · ΔE 1.8

Jet Black

#333334 · ΔE 1.9

Twilight Zone

#343435 · ΔE 2.0

Black

#313132 · ΔE 2.1

Onyx

#353434 · ΔE 2.3

Midnight Dream

#323436 · ΔE 2.4

Black Satin

#313435 · ΔE 3.1

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 #353235?

#353235 is Black Tortoise, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #353235 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Black Tortoise?

Black Tortoise works well in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens. Designers typically use it for main walls, trim, accents.

What colors pair well with Black Tortoise?

Black Tortoise pairs naturally with soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Black Tortoise?

You can download Black Tortoise 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 Tortoise?

The hex code is #353235. In RGB it's 53, 50, 53, and in HSL it's 300°, 3%, 20%.

← All colors