≈ Asphalt
#1D090B is closest to Asphalt in our library. Asphalt (#1D090B) is a very dark, muted black with a warm-leaning neutral feel. It has a hue angle of 354° and a lightness of 17%. Its muted saturation keeps it calm and sophisticated, easy to live with in large areas.
About this color
What Asphalt looks like, feels like and where it works.
Description
Asphalt (#1D090B) is a very dark, muted black with a warm-leaning neutral feel. It has a hue angle of 354° and a lightness of 17%. Its muted saturation keeps it calm and sophisticated, easy to live with in large areas.
Psychology
Black is bold, formal and strong. It gives the highest contrast with light colors and feels premium; an off-black with a hint of hue is easier on the eye than pure black. As a dark shade, Asphalt feels weighty and serious.
Meaning
Black stands for elegance, power and sophistication, and for mourning in the West.
Why use this color
Asphalt is an easy supporting color. It carries white text well, so it works as a button, header or badge background. Pair it with its tints and shades for a complete scale.
Applications
- Luxury and fashion
- Typography and dark mode
- Strong contrast and emphasis
- Photography and film
History
Charcoal and soot were among the first pigments in cave art. Modern materials such as Vantablack, from 2014, absorb about 99.96 percent of light.
Accessibility
White text on Asphalt has a contrast ratio of 19.15:1 (AAA); black text has 1.09:1 (fails). WCAG AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface parts. Do not rely on color alone to carry meaning: pair it with text, an icon or a pattern.
Variations of Asphalt
Tailwind-style scale
Color harmonies of Asphalt
Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.
Color blindness simulator
These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.