Color spec
| Brand | Behr |
| Name | Black |
| SKU | PPU18-20 |
| Hex | #1F1E1D |
| RGB | 31, 30, 29 |
| HSL | 30°, 3%, 12% |
| LRV | 3 |
| Undertone | neutral with no strong undertone |
| Family | Black |
What Color Is Black, Really?
Behr Black (PPU18-20) is exactly what the name promises: a true black with almost no color bias. Its saturation sits at 3 percent, which means the faint warm lean in the formula is too small to register as brown, blue, or green on a wall. With a light reflectance value of 3, it absorbs nearly all the light that hits it, so it reads as solid black in almost any room and at almost any hour.
That honesty is why it works. Behr positions it as the go-to true black for doors, accents, and exteriors sold at Home Depot, and it fills that job without surprises. Many dark paints shift teal or charcoal in daylight; this one stays put.
It suits people who want clean contrast rather than moody ambiguity: a black front door against white siding, black window sashes, a crisp island under pale counters. If you want a black that behaves like ink, start here.
On paper, Behr Black has a hue angle around 30 degrees, which is technically warm, in orange territory. In practice that number is meaningless at 3 percent saturation and 12 percent lightness. There is so little chroma in the mix that the eye cannot pick up a lean. This is a near-neutral black, and that is rare; most so-called blacks from any brand carry a visible blue or green cast once you get them on a large surface in daylight.
Where a lean could show is next to another dark color. Hold it against Beluga (770F-7) or Carbon (N520-7) and those two will suddenly look slightly blue-green, because Behr Black gives them a truly neutral reference point. Test it against your trim white and your floor: on cool white trim it looks a hair softer, on warm wood floors it looks a hair crisper. Either way it stays black.
Best Rooms and Uses for Behr Black
At LRV 3 this is a statement and contrast color, not a whole-home wall color. Its best jobs are the ones Behr built it for: front doors, shutters, exterior trim, and full exterior accents, where sunlight is plentiful and black reads as sharp rather than heavy. On a front door it pairs with nearly any siding color because it has no undertone to clash.
Inside, use it where you want deliberate weight. Kitchen islands and lower cabinets take it well, especially under light counters. Interior doors painted in it turn a hallway of builder-white walls into something considered. A single accent wall behind a bed or a media console works if the room gets decent daylight.
Full black walls are doable in a den, office, or powder room, but treat it as an enveloping choice and light the room intentionally. Skip it for ceilings in low rooms and for trim in dim spaces, where it can read as a hole rather than a line.
How Lighting Changes Behr Black
An LRV of 3 means this color bounces back almost none of the light in the room, so lighting changes its texture more than its color. In a north-facing room the low, cool light flattens it into a matte, ink-like surface with very little sheen variation. South-facing rooms with strong direct sun are where you will see the most life: raking light picks up brush texture and any sheen, and the surface can look charcoal-adjacent at midday.
East light warms it briefly in the morning; west light does the same in late afternoon. Neither shifts it enough to read as anything but black.
Bulb temperature matters more indoors. Warm 2700K bulbs soften it slightly and make adjacent wood tones glow against it. Cool 4000K bulbs sharpen the contrast with white trim. Because the color barely reflects, plan on more light sources than usual in any room where it covers the walls.
Most complaints about Black are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Behr Black vs Similar Colors
Beluga (770F-7) shares the same LRV of 3, but its formula carries a blue-green cast. In a dim room the two look interchangeable; in daylight, especially outdoors, Beluga drifts toward a deep sea-charcoal while Behr Black stays neutral. Choose Beluga when you want a black that feels slightly softer and cooler, and Behr Black when you need the door to match black window frames or fixtures exactly.
Carbon (N520-7), also LRV 3, is the in-between option: a charcoal-leaning near-black with a whisper of blue. On cabinets it reads as very dark gray rather than true black, which some people prefer because it shows less dust and fewer fingerprints.
Black Suede (S-H-790), again LRV 3, leans faintly green. It is a good pick for exteriors surrounded by landscaping, where the green cast ties into the setting. If you are matching black metal roofing, gutters, or railings, the truly neutral Behr Black is the safer call of the four.
Colors That Go With Behr Black
The cleanest partner is Ultra Pure White (1850). At LRV 92 it is Behr's brightest white and gives you maximum contrast for trim, ceilings, and siding around a black door. If that pairing feels too stark, Swiss Coffee (12), at LRV 80, is a creamy off-white that softens the scheme; use it on walls with black doors and hardware, or as exterior body color under black shutters.
For a middle value between the two extremes, Dolphin Fin (PPU18-15) is a mid-toned greige at LRV 47 that works as a second wall color or garage-door color so the palette is not just black and white.
For an accent with actual color, Blueprint (S470-5) is a muted blue at LRV 19 that sits comfortably next to black on cabinetry or a companion door, and Back to Nature (S340-4), a soft green at LRV 38, keeps an exterior scheme from feeling severe. Brass, aged bronze, and natural oak all read well against this black; chrome leans colder and more modern.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr PPU18-20 directly — but if you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches:
Similar Behr colors
closest in the Behr deckThe nearest shades to Black within Behr's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #1F1E1D in HSL space. Pair Black with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Is Behr Black warm or cool?
Neither, in any way you can see. Its saturation is about 3 percent, which makes it a near-perfect neutral black. The formula has a microscopic warm lean, but at this darkness the eye cannot detect it. Unlike most dark paints, it will not flash blue, green, or brown in daylight, which is why it is a reliable match for black metal fixtures and window frames.
What trim white goes with Behr Black?
Ultra Pure White (1850) is the standard answer. At LRV 92 it is Behr's brightest white, and the roughly 89-point LRV gap gives you the sharpest possible black-and-white contrast. If you want something softer, Swiss Coffee (12) at LRV 80 is a warm cream that takes the edge off while still reading clearly white next to black.
Does Behr Black work on cabinets and exteriors?
Yes to both. Indoors it is strongest on islands and lower cabinets under light counters, though true black shows fingerprints more than charcoal, so use a scrubbable finish. Outdoors it is Behr's flagship true black for doors, shutters, and accents. For full black siding, use an exterior product rated for dark colors, since they absorb more heat in strong sun.
What does the LRV of 3 mean in practice?
LRV runs from 0 (absolute black) to 100 (pure white), and 3 means this color reflects almost no light. Any room painted in it will need more lamps and stronger daylight than the same room in a mid-tone. It also means the color barely shifts with exposure; it looks black in the morning, at noon, and at night.
How is Behr Black different from Cracked Pepper?
Cracked Pepper (PPU18-01) is a soft black at LRV 5 with a faint warm, smoky quality, so it reads as very dark charcoal rather than true black, especially in daylight. Behr Black at LRV 3 is darker and dead neutral. Pick Cracked Pepper for cozier walls and cabinets; pick Behr Black when you want genuine ink-black contrast.
Should I sample Behr Black before painting?
Yes, mainly to judge sheen and darkness rather than undertone, since the color itself barely shifts. Paint a large sample board, at least two coats, and move it around the space at different times of day. Outdoors, check it in full sun and in shade; indoors, look at it under your actual bulbs at night before committing.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Black behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY BLACK ON YOUR ROOM →Ask a Question
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