NEUTRALS

Pitch Black

#3B3938

RGB 59, 57, 56 · HSL 20°, 3%, 23% · CMYK 0, 3, 5, 77

Pitch Black is #3B3938 in HEX — rgb(59, 57, 56), hsl(20°, 3%, 23%), cmyk(0%, 3%, 5%, 77%).

Pitch Black pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 20°, 3%, 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#3B3938

RGB59, 57, 56

HSL20°, 3%, 23%

HSV20°, 5%, 23%

CMYK0, 3, 5, 77

Decimal3881272

CSS RGBrgb(59, 57, 56)

CSS HSLhsl(20, 3%, 23%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black 256

Exact match

Benjamin Moore

Black 2128-10

ΔE 0.5 · #3A3837

Dunn-Edwards

Black DEA187

ΔE 0.9 · #3B3A3A

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 1.3 · #383737

Kilz

Mystic Black TB-39

ΔE 1.4 · #383938

Dulux

Black Caviar SN4H9

ΔE 1.4 · #3A393A

Hallman-Lindsay

Black Licorice 529

ΔE 1.6 · #3A3B3B

Vista Paint

Contessa's Cape K-808

ΔE 1.8 · #383A39

Behr

Limousine Leather MQ5-5

ΔE 2 · #3C3C3D

RAL

Grey Brown 8019

ΔE 2.2 · #403A3A

Sherwin-Williams

Greenblack SW6994

ΔE 2.4 · #373A3A

PPG

Black Magic 1001-7

ΔE 3.2 · #414040

Colorhouse

Nourish .06 Nourish-06

ΔE 3.8 · #313536

Valspar

Dark Kettle Black 4011-2

ΔE 4.2 · #3F4043

IKEA

IKEA186 186

ΔE 4.7 · #302F2F

Dutch Boy

Dark Chocolate D-6782

ΔE 8.8 · #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 MasstoneOrange UndertoneYellow

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#3B3938

#393B3C

Analogous

#3C3939

#3B3938

#3C3C39

Triadic

#3B3938

#393C3A

#3A393C

Split-Complementary

#3B3938

#393C3C

#39393C

Tetradic

#3B3938

#393C39

#393B3C

#3C393C

Monochromatic

#0D0D0C

#151414

#3B3938

#64605E

#8B8684

Rectangle

#3B3938

#3B3C39

#393B3C

#3A393C

Compound

#3B3938

#3C3C39

#393B3C

#39393C

Variations

Lighter

#65615F

#8C8886

#BCBAB9

Darker

#302E2D

#21201F

#131312

Saturation

#3B3A3A

#3C3A39

#59311C

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

11.49:1

AAA

vs Black

1.83:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#3B3938

#3A3A38

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#3B3938

#393938

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#3B3938

#3B3939

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Pitch Black 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

#6C5745

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#3B3938

Daylight 5500K

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

#595C69

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEA

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.

#25363E

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: #3B3938;

CSS — background

background-color: #3B3938;

CSS Variable

--color-pitch-black: #3B3938;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'pitch-black': '#3B3938' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#3B3938] text-[#3B3938]

SCSS

$pitch-black: #3B3938;

Similar Colors

Black Beauty

#393736 · ΔE 0.9

Black Tar

#38393A · ΔE 1.9

Mopboard Black

#373839 · ΔE 2.0

Black Jack

#3D3D3E · ΔE 2.3

Onyx

#353434 · ΔE 2.5

Carbon Copy

#383537 · ΔE 2.6

Ebony King

#383A3C · ΔE 2.7

Universal Black

#353435 · ΔE 2.7

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 #3B3938?

#3B3938 is Pitch Black, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #3B3938 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Pitch Black?

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

What colors pair well with Pitch Black?

Pitch Black 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 Pitch Black?

You can download Pitch 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 Pitch Black?

The hex code is #3B3938. In RGB it's 59, 57, 56, and in HSL it's 20°, 3%, 23%.

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