Color spec
| Brand | Behr |
| Name | Broadway |
| SKU | N510-7 |
| Hex | #39393B |
| RGB | 57, 57, 59 |
| HSL | 240°, 2%, 23% |
| LRV | 4 |
| Undertone | neutral with no strong undertone |
| Family | Black |
What Color Is Broadway, Really?
Broadway N510-7 is a soft black. Its hex is #39393B and its LRV is 4, which is near the bottom of the scale, so it absorbs nearly all the light that hits it. On a wall it reads as black, though a fraction softer than a pure black because it is built at 23 percent lightness rather than zero. Saturation measures 2 percent, which is almost nothing, so there is no meaningful color cast pulling it blue, green, or brown.
People choose a near-black like this when they want the weight of black without the hardness. A true black can look like a hole in the wall, especially on a flat finish. Broadway keeps a little more body, which makes edges, panel details, and cabinet doors easier to read. It is a good default when the goal is contrast, whether that is a front door, a set of window sashes, an accent wall, or a whole moody room.
The thing to check is the finish and the light. At LRV 4 a flat sheen looks chalky and shows every roller mark, while satin or semi-gloss keeps the surface looking solid. Also remember that black shows dust and hand marks more than any other color, so plan on a washable sheen anywhere people touch. In a room with no direct light it will simply look like a dark void, which may or may not be the effect you want.
There is almost nothing under this color. Saturation is 2 percent, which is close to the limit of what the eye can detect on a wall, and the hue reading of 240 degrees is technically blue but carries no visible weight at that saturation. In practice Broadway is a neutral near-black.
That matters more than it sounds. Many blacks sold for interiors carry an obvious blue, green, or brown lean that shows up in daylight and can clash with existing finishes. Broadway does not do that, so it sits neutrally against warm woods, cool stone, and any trim white without arguing with them.
Where you might catch a faint cool edge is in bright direct daylight on a large flat surface, and even then it is subtle. If you compare it directly against a warmer black you will notice Broadway looks slightly cooler, and against a cooler blue-black it will look neutral. On its own, in a normal room, it simply reads black.
Best Rooms and Uses for Broadway
Broadway earns its place on smaller, deliberate surfaces before whole rooms. Front doors, interior doors, window sashes, fireplace surrounds, and built-in shelving all take it well, because the near-black reads as a frame around something else. Powder rooms and small studies also work, since a fully dark small room feels intentional rather than cramped.
On cabinets it is one of the safest dark choices. The neutral base means it will not fight a stone counter or a wood floor, and at LRV 4 it gives a kitchen a strong anchor when used on the island or the lower run.
Outdoors it is a workhorse: shutters, trim, doors, and metal railings all suit it, and it holds up as a full body color on homes with bright white trim. In a bedroom or living room, most people are happier using it on one wall or on the trim rather than every surface, unless the room has strong daylight.
How Lighting Changes Broadway
At LRV 4 the wall reflects almost nothing back, so lighting changes the texture more than the color. In north-facing rooms the cool flat daylight makes it read as a solid, even black with very little variation. Detail on panel doors and moldings can disappear there unless the sheen is high enough to catch a highlight. South-facing rooms give it more shape, since direct sun creates visible sheen variation across the surface and the room stops feeling like a flat box.
East and west rooms swing between those two states through the day, looking more dimensional when the sun is on that side of the house.
Bulb color barely shifts a near-neutral black, but bulb placement is everything. A single ceiling fixture leaves the walls dead. Lamps, sconces, and picture lights bring the surface to life by putting highlights on it. If you are painting a whole room, plan the lighting at the same time as the paint, not afterward.
Most complaints about Broadway 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 →Broadway vs Similar Colors
Limousine Leather MQ5-05 at LRV 4 with hex #3B3C3B is the nearest Behr neighbor and reads a shade greener. Black Garnet N110-7 at #38363D is the same depth with a faint purple lean, which shows up mostly next to gray trim. Raven Black PPF-59 at LRV 5 with hex #3D3D3D is a plain neutral that sits one point lighter, a reasonable pick if Broadway feels too heavy.
Across brands, Hirshfield's Sayward Pine H0101 at LRV 4 measures a deltaE of 0.76, close enough to call a match. Benjamin Moore Black Tar 2126-10 at LRV 6 and Glidden Onyx Black 00NN 05/000 at LRV 5 both sit at 1.07, and Dunn-Edwards Black DEA002 at LRV 4 at 1.4. Farrow and Ball Smelt Black No. G18 at LRV 5 comes in at 1.66. All of those are visually identical in normal room light.
Sherwin-Williams Greenblack SW 6994 at LRV 4 measures 2.63 and pulls green, so it is very close but worth sampling. Dutch Boy Deepest Purple 445-7DB at 3.94 is close but visibly different side by side.
Colors That Go With Broadway
Inside Behr, the nearby options let you vary depth without changing character. Limousine Leather MQ5-05 at LRV 4 is essentially the same weight with a hair more green. Madison Avenue QE-64 at LRV 5 and Raven Black PPF-59 at LRV 5 are both a step softer, useful for trim next to Broadway walls or for a ceiling. Black Garnet N110-7 at LRV 4 carries a faint purple lean, and Stealth Jet 780F-7 at LRV 4 leans very slightly green if you want a warmer or cooler version of the same idea.
Trim should be a bright clean white. Against a wall at LRV 4, the contrast is the whole design, and a white in the 80s gives the crispest line.
For materials, almost everything works because the color takes no side. Warm oak and walnut keep the room from feeling severe. Brass and aged bronze look rich against it, while polished chrome and stainless read modern. Natural stone, cream textiles, and unbleached linen all soften a black room without weakening the contrast.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr N510-7 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 Broadway 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 #39393B in HSL space. Pair Broadway 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 Broadway warm or cool?
It is neutral. Saturation measures only 2 percent, so there is no real undertone pushing it warm or cool. Compared with blacks that lean green, blue, or brown, Broadway is straightforward, which is why it sits comfortably next to both warm wood and cool stone.
What LRV is Broadway?
Broadway has an LRV of 4. On the 0 to 100 scale, that is a very dark near-black. It absorbs almost all the light that hits it, so a wall painted in it will read as black in nearly every room, with only sheen and direct light giving it any visible shape.
Is Broadway a true black or a soft black?
It is a soft black. The hex is #39393B rather than pure #000000, and the color is built at 23 percent lightness, so it keeps a small amount of body. On a wall the difference is subtle, but it means panel edges and moldings stay readable instead of disappearing the way they can with an absolute black.
Does Broadway work in a dark room?
It will read as a solid dark surface with very little variation. At LRV 4 there is nothing bouncing back, so a north-facing or windowless room painted in Broadway depends entirely on lamps and sheen for interest. Small rooms like powder rooms often carry it well, while large dim rooms can feel flat.
What white trim goes with Broadway?
Any bright white gives strong contrast against a wall at LRV 4, so pick based on the rest of the room. A crisp white in the 80s range makes the sharpest line and is the usual choice. A softer warm white takes some of the hardness out if the room already has wood and brass in it.
Is Broadway good for exteriors and cabinets?
Yes to both. Outdoors it works on shutters, trim, doors, and railings, and as a full body color on homes with bright white trim. On cabinets the neutral base means it will not clash with a stone counter, and its depth gives an island or lower run a clear anchor. Behr is sold at The Home Depot, so matching exterior product is easy to source.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Broadway behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY BROADWAY ON YOUR ROOM →
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