Best Black Paint Colors

A "black" paint almost never is: most carry a warm brown, cool blue, or neutral-gray cast that only shows up once it is on a large surface in real light. These four cover the range from truest neutral black to the softest near-black, so you can match the undertone to the room instead of guessing off a tiny chip.

Tricorn Black Sherwin-Williams · SW 6258 LRV 3

The truest neutral black on this site, almost no undertone shift by light, the safe pick when you need zero color drift against black hardware or fixtures.

Black Beauty Benjamin Moore · 2128-10 LRV 4

A softer, warmer near-black than Tricorn Black, with a faint warm-neutral cast that reads slightly less stark in a room with warm lighting.

Peppercorn Sherwin-Williams · SW 7674 LRV 10

The lightest of the four (LRV 10), a warm charcoal rather than a true black, a good bridge color if full black feels too heavy for the room.

Iron Ore Sherwin-Williams · SW 7069 LRV 6

A cooler charcoal-black with a subtle blue-green undertone, common on a kitchen island or front door where a hint of color keeps it from going flat.