NEUTRALS

Black Licorice

#3A3B3B

RGB 58, 59, 59 · HSL 180°, 1%, 23% · CMYK 2, 0, 0, 77

Black Licorice is #3A3B3B in HEX — rgb(58, 59, 59), hsl(180°, 1%, 23%), cmyk(2%, 0%, 0%, 77%).

Black Licorice pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 180°, 1%, 23%. 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#3A3B3B
RGB58, 59, 59
HSL180°, 1%, 23%
HSV180°, 2%, 23%
CMYK2, 0, 0, 77
Decimal3816251
CSS RGBrgb(58, 59, 59)
CSS HSLhsl(180, 1%, 23%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Hallman-Lindsay

Black Licorice 529

Exact match

Benjamin Moore

Black 2126-10

ΔE 0.8 · #393A3B

Behr

Madison Avenue QE-64

ΔE 0.9 · #3C3D3D

Vista Paint

Sayward Pine C-1417

ΔE 0.9 · #3A3C3D

Dunn-Edwards

Black DEA187

ΔE 0.9 · #3B3A3A

Sherwin-Williams

Greenblack SW6994

ΔE 1.1 · #373A3A

Kilz

True Black RM260A

ΔE 1.1 · #3D3D3D

Dulux

Wigram NZ10G2

ΔE 1.3 · #3A393A

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black 256

ΔE 1.6 · #3B3938

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 1.8 · #383737

PPG

Black Magic 1001-7

ΔE 2.6 · #414040

Valspar

Dark Kettle Black 4011-2

ΔE 3 · #3F4043

RAL

Grey Brown 8019

ΔE 3.2 · #403A3A

Colorhouse

Nourish .06 Nourish-06

ΔE 3.3 · #313536

IKEA

IKEA186 186

ΔE 5.4 · #302F2F

Dutch Boy

Dark Chocolate D-6782

ΔE 10.3 · #392A27

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

4/100

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 MasstoneTeal UndertoneGreen

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#3A3B3B
#3B3A3A

Analogous

#3A3B3B
#3A3B3B
#3A3B3B

Triadic

#3A3B3B
#3B3A3B
#3B3B3A

Split-Complementary

#3A3B3B
#3B3A3B
#3B3B3A

Tetradic

#3A3B3B
#3B3A3B
#3B3A3A
#3B3B3A

Monochromatic

#0D0D0D
#141515
#3A3B3B
#606262
#868888

Rectangle

#3A3B3B
#3A3A3B
#3B3A3A
#3B3B3A

Compound

#3A3B3B
#3A3B3B
#3B3A3A
#3B3B3A

Variations

Lighter

#616363
#888A8A
#BABBBB

Darker

#2E2F2F
#202121
#131313

Saturation

#3A3B3B
#3A3B3B
#1D5858

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)

Aa

vs White

11.24:1

AAA

Aa

vs Black

1.87:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#3A3B3B
#3B3B3B

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#3A3B3B
#3B3B3B

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#3A3B3B
#3A3B3B

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Black Licorice 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

#6B5947

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#3A3B3B

Daylight 5500K

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

#585E6C

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEB

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.

#3E2525

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

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: #3A3B3B;
CSS — background 
background-color: #3A3B3B;
CSS Variable 
--color-black-licorice: #3A3B3B;
Tailwind v3 — config 
colors: { 'black-licorice': '#3A3B3B' }
Tailwind — arbitrary 
bg-[#3A3B3B] text-[#3A3B3B]
SCSS 
$black-licorice: #3A3B3B;

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#38393A · ΔE 1.1

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#3A3C3E · ΔE 1.4

Ebony King

#383A3C · ΔE 1.5

Mopboard Black

#373839 · ΔE 1.5

Blacktop

#393D3C · ΔE 1.6

Black Panther

#3D3F40 · ΔE 1.9

Black Beauty

#393736 · ΔE 2.2
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 #3A3B3B?

#3A3B3B is Black Licorice, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #3A3B3B warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Black Licorice?

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

What colors pair well with Black Licorice?

Black Licorice 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 Licorice?

You can download Black Licorice 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 Licorice?

The hex code is #3A3B3B. In RGB it's 58, 59, 59, and in HSL it's 180°, 1%, 23%.

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