Charcoal vs Onyx
Can you tell them apart?
#36454F
#353839
Perceptual difference (ΔE): 8.9 — similar.
Charcoal and onyx are both very dark near-blacks that appear in product design, fashion, and UI colour systems as sophisticated alternatives to pure black. Charcoal is named after burnt wood and has a distinct blue-grey character — it's dark but clearly grey, with enough lightness and cool undertone to read as a colour rather than an absence of one. Onyx, named after the banded gemstone, is warmer and closer to true black — just a trace above pure black, with a slight warm neutral undertone that gives it organic depth. Charcoal reads as dark grey; onyx reads as almost-black.
How to tell them apart
Charcoal is visibly grey — dark, but clearly a colour with a cool blue undertone; onyx is so close to black you might only notice the difference next to pure black. If it reads as a dark grey coat or a graphite pencil, it's charcoal; if it reads as the darkest thing in the room, it's onyx.
Color values
| HEX | #36454F |
|---|---|
| RGB | 54, 69, 79 |
| HSL | 204°, 19%, 26% |
| CMYK | 32, 13, 0, 69 |
| HEX | #353839 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 53, 56, 57 |
| HSL | 195°, 4%, 22% |
| CMYK | 7, 2, 0, 78 |
FAQ
- Is charcoal the same as onyx?
- No. Charcoal is a dark grey with a blue undertone; onyx is much closer to pure black with a slight warm cast.
- Which is darker, charcoal or onyx?
- Onyx is darker — near-black. Charcoal is visibly grey even in normal lighting conditions.