Wood Charcoal
A grounded and versatile dark neutral grey
Wood Charcoal is a deep, neutral grey that anchors designs without overwhelming the composition. The hex code for this shade is #464646. It functions best as a background color for interfaces or typography, offering a 9.4:1 contrast ratio against white text. This muted tone provides professional stability and pairs well with bright, saturated accents in minimal, modern layouts.
About Wood Charcoal
Cold ash in a fireplace the morning after
What does wood charcoal mean?
Wood charcoal often calls to mind burnt timber, fireplaces, sketching pencils, and the soft grey residue of a dead fire. Almost no saturation and a deep, low lightness give it a heavy, subdued mood with no warmth or energy to spare.
Where you see wood charcoal
- charcoal pencil strokes
- cast iron skillets
- asphalt
- storm clouds
- graphite smudges
- concrete
What it works for
It works as a softer stand-in for black in text, borders, shadows, and dark interface surfaces.
What colors go with wood charcoal?
Blush #de5d83The soft pink warmth stands out against the colorless grey without turning sweet.Sage #9caf88The muted green reads natural next to a grey this flat and dark.Burnt Orange #cc5500Its ember-like heat contrasts the cold, ash-covered depth of the grey.Cream #fffdd0The pale warmth brightens the grey while keeping the palette calm and low key.Dusty Lavender #ac86a8Both are dim and desaturated, so the pair stays subdued and even.Oxblood #800020The deep red shares its darkness but adds the richness this grey lacks.
Questions about Wood Charcoal
What is the hex code for Wood Charcoal?
Wood Charcoal is #464646. In RGB that is rgb(70, 70, 70), in HSL hsl(0, 0%, 27%) and in CMYK 0%, 0%, 0%, 73%.
Is Wood Charcoal readable on white or black?
Wood Charcoal has a 9.43:1 contrast ratio on white and 2.22:1 on black. WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text, so on white it works for body text and on black it is too faint for text. Try other pairs in the contrast checker.