Showa era
Pale Lemon Yellow & Blackish Olive
Plate 109 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale Lemon Yellow, Blackish Olive.
#42533e
green · 3 palettes
Blackish Olive
About Blackish Olive
Blackish Olive is a deep, near-neutral green tone. Its hex value is #42533e — that is
RGB 66, 83, 62, or HSL 109°, 14%, 28%.
It holds 8.3:1 contrast against white, so Blackish Olive works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 8.3:1; on black 2.5:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Blackish Olive appears in 3 combinations — most often paired with Pale Lemon Yellow, Light Brownish Olive and Dusky Green.
Colours that go with Blackish Olive
As a deep near-neutral, Blackish Olive sits comfortably beside almost any accent — the schemes below show the subtle, reliable pairings from a standard colour wheel.
Complementary
#42533e #4F3E53
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#42533e #4D533E #3E5344
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#42533e #3E4253 #533E42
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#42533e #443E53 #533E4D
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Blackish Olive
Blackish Olive is a deep, near-neutral tone (HSL 109°, 14%, 28%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (8.3:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#4F3E53) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#4D533E and #3E5344) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Blackish Olive off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Formula Guide – Coated & Uncoated | Professional PMS Color Matching System for Print, Packaging & Graphic Design | GP1601B
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
ColorChecker Passport Photo 2
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2 Portable Color Calibration Kit for Photo and Video, 4 Target Set for White Balance, Exposure and Creative Look
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
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Palettes with Blackish Olive
Blackish Olive appears in 3 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Blackish Olive
- What is the hex code for Blackish Olive?
- Blackish Olive is #42533e. It appears in 3 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Blackish Olive look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Blackish Olive (#42533e) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 8.27:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 2.54:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Blackish Olive come from?
- Blackish Olive is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued green pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Blackish Olive in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#42533e) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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