PPG / Glidden black paint colors

PPG and Glidden share one deep color library, and this slice pulls the six darkest blacks from it. None of these are flat, dead black. They carry a little warmth or coolness so the wall reads rich instead of like a void, which is what gives a true black its depth on a real wall.

You can see the spread in the names. Charcoal Smoke and Onyx lean toward soft, smoky charcoal, while Black Magic, Napoleon, Dark As Night, and Wright Midnight push toward the inkier, near-jet end. Look at all six in your own room before deciding, because black shifts more than any other color under different light.

LRV is light reflectance value: how much light a color bounces back, from 0 (pure black) to 100 (pure white). Every color in this group sits between 5 and 7, so they are all genuinely dark. The differences are small but they show up in person.

The lightest here, Charcoal Smoke at LRV 7, will feel a touch softer and a hair more gray. Black Magic, Napoleon, and Wright Midnight at LRV 5 are the darkest and closest to true black. If you want drama and depth, go to the bottom of the range; if you want a black that still shows its edges and trim, the LRV 6 and 7 colors like Onyx and Dark As Night are easier to live with.

Black at this depth works best as a focal move, not wall-to-wall in a small bright room. A single accent wall, a fireplace surround, built-in shelving, or an interior door takes one of these blacks well. Onyx or Charcoal Smoke on a feature wall reads modern without swallowing the space.

Outside, deep blacks are popular on front doors, shutters, and trim, where they frame a house cleanly. Napoleon or Black Magic on a front door against lighter siding is a classic high-contrast look. In a room with good natural light, a darker black ceiling or moody den can feel cozy rather than heavy.

The simplest pairing is high contrast: a black like Dark As Night or Onyx against a crisp white trim and ceiling. That keeps the room feeling sharp and lets the black do the work. Glidden's own well-known whites, such as Delicate White, give you a clean frame.

For a softer, more enveloping look, pair the black with warm greiges, deep greens, or muted blues instead of bright white. A black accent wall reads richer next to natural wood and brass than next to stark white. Whatever you choose, paint large sample patches and view them morning and evening, since black undertones change the most across the day.

These are not pre-canned shades sitting on a shelf. Every one is mixed to order at the paint counter from a base plus tint, so you bring the name or code and they make it in the sheen and quantity you need. Where you buy depends on the line: Glidden and PPG Timeless sell at The Home Depot, while PPG Paints and Pittsburgh Paints & Stains go through company stores and independent dealers. The lineup runs value to premium, from Glidden Essentials, Premium, and Diamond to PPG Timeless and PPG Diamond.

Black is also the most forgiving family to cross-match. Take the PPG or Glidden name and LRV to any counter and they can tint a near-identical black in their own base, including a match to or from the featured Kompozit deck. Match from a physical chip rather than a screen, since monitors never show black accurately.