Coal Mine
N540-7 · #54555D · LRV 9 — cool blue tone, very dark — reads black in most rooms.
- 1Coal Mine9
- 2Kendall Charcoal15
- 3Retreat21
What Color Is Coal Mine, Really?
Coal Mine reads as a cool blue tone — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover how Behr N540-7 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Coal Mine
Coal Mine earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.
How Lighting Changes Coal Mine
At LRV 9, Coal Mine is about as dark as paint gets — it reads near-black on a wall and reveals its character only in direct daylight or under warm bulbs. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.
Most complaints about Coal Mine 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.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr N540-7 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Mineral GraySW 2740 · Sherwin-Williams | 2.8 | 9 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Deep Space2125-20 · Benjamin Moore | 3.4 | 9 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Coal Tipple8004-47F · Valspar | 1.1 | 9 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Purple ParlorPPG13-17 · PPG / Glidden | 4.5 | 9 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Purple ParlorPPG13-17 · Glidden | 4.5 | 9 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Gravity435-7DB · Dutch Boy | 3.3 | 9 | Color page → |
Similar Behr Colors
The nearest shades to Coal Mine within Behr's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #54555D in HSL space. Pair Coal Mine with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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