Internet Colors - Set of 1035

Charcoal Color 176 - #36454F

Charcoal is a light black residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal.

Historically, production of wood charcoal in districts where there is an abundance of wood dates back to a very ancient period. It consists of piling billets of wood on their ends so as to form a conical pile, openings being left at the bottom to admit air, with a central shaft to serve as a flue.

The charcoal briquette was first invented and patented by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer in 1897. The process was further popularized by Henry Ford, who used wood and sawdust byproducts from automobile fabrication as a feedstock. Ford Charcoal went on to become the Kingsford Company.