Army Green
2141-30 · #6A6855 · LRV 15 — warm yellow tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
- 1Black Emerald1
- 2Essex Green6
- 3Army Green15
- 4Sage Green22
- 5Evergreen Fog30
What Color Is Army Green, Really?
Army Green 2141-30 is a dark olive. Its hex value is #6A6855 and its LRV is 15, which is firmly in the deep range: it takes light out of a room rather than giving it back, so walls painted in it feel enclosed and heavy in the best sense. The undertone is a warm yellow one, with a hue near 54 degrees and only about 11 percent saturation. That low saturation is why Benjamin Moore files it as a neutral. It is a green built out of gray and yellow rather than out of pigment.
People pick it when they want a dark room that does not go black, blue, or cold. Olive at this depth reads like canvas, worn leather, and old military kit, which gives a room an unfussy, masculine calm without the graphic hardness of charcoal. It sits naturally with wood, brass, and brown leather, and it makes white trim look very white.
The thing to check is light. At LRV 15 this color needs either strong daylight or deliberately warm bulbs. In a north-facing room with cool light it drops toward a flat, muddy gray-brown, and the yellow that makes it olive simply stops registering. Under 4000K bulbs it does the same thing at night.
The undertone here is warm yellow, at a hue of roughly 54 degrees. That is well into the yellow part of the wheel, closer to khaki than to a leaf green. Saturation is only about 11 percent, so this is a heavily grayed color and on a small chip it can pass for a warm dark gray.
On a full wall the olive shows up, and it shows most where light is strongest. Sunlight brings the yellow forward and the color looks like faded canvas. Shadowed corners lose the yellow and read gray-brown.
Neighbors move it too. Next to a true green such as Provincial Park CC-664 at LRV 14, Army Green looks yellower and dustier. Next to a warm beige or a tan leather sofa, the same paint suddenly looks greener and cooler by comparison. If you have green tile, stone, or fabric already in the room, hold the sample against it, because a saturated green nearby will strip the green out of Army Green entirely.
Best Rooms and Uses for Army Green
Army Green is a room-defining color, not a background. At LRV 15 it works best in spaces where depth is the goal: a home office, a study, a dining room, a den, a small bedroom you want to feel like a retreat, or a powder room. Painting walls, trim, and ceiling all in it turns a small room into a single enveloping box, which is a common approach with dark olives.
Cabinetry is its other strong use. On a kitchen island, a laundry room, a mudroom, or lower cabinets under lighter uppers, it gives depth without the coldness of a dark gray, and it takes brass, bronze, and black hardware equally well.
Outside it makes a good shutter, front door, or garage door color on a light or cream body, and it works as a full body color on a house tucked among trees. Dark exteriors absorb heat, so use an exterior-grade product and expect more upkeep in full sun.
How Lighting Changes Army Green
With an LRV of 15 this color reflects very little, so it exaggerates whatever the light is doing. In north-facing rooms the cool, indirect daylight cancels the yellow undertone and the walls go flat, dark, and slightly brown. That can look sophisticated in a small study and depressing in a large living room.
South and west rooms are where it works best. Direct sun activates the yellow and the color turns into a warm, dusty olive with visible life in it. East rooms show that warmth in the morning and lose it by afternoon.
Artificial light is not optional here. Warm bulbs around 2700K keep the olive readable at night and stop the room from feeling like a cave. Cooler bulbs near 4000K flatten it toward gray. Because a dark color relies on lamps rather than reflected light, plan the fixtures at the same time as the paint, and add more light sources than you think you need.
Most complaints about Army Green 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 Benjamin Moore 2141-30 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 | EclipseSW 6166 · Sherwin-Williams | 1.9 | 14 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Thai Basil8004-26F · Valspar | 1.5 | 14 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Double DutyPPG1030-7 · PPG / Glidden | 1.5 | 14 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Double DutyPPG1030-7 · Glidden | 1.5 | 14 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Antiquated Olive424-6DB · Dutch Boy | 4.2 | 14 | Color page → |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | Germinating GreenHGSW 3242 · HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | 4.4 | 13 | Color page → |
Similar Benjamin Moore Colors
The nearest shades to Army Green within Benjamin Moore'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.
Army Green vs Similar Colors
Its closest Benjamin Moore neighbors are all within a point or two of LRV. Trailing Vines 1505 and Provincial Park CC-664 both sit at #696753 and LRV 14, marginally darker and a shade greener. Castle Peak Gray 1561 at #696757 and LRV 15 is the most neutral of the set. Sterling Forest 518 at #6D684E and LRV 14 pushes further into yellow-olive, and Cabin Fever 1540 at #6C6453 and LRV 14 is browner.
Across brands, Dunn-Edwards Aged Jade DE6245 at #6C6956 and deltaE 0.71 is effectively the same color. Valspar Thai Basil 8004-26F and PPG Double Duty PPG1030-7, both at deltaE 1.51, are visually identical in normal room light, as are C2 Posh C2-934 and Sherwin-Williams Eclipse SW 6166 at deltaE 1.86.
Farther out, Farrow and Ball Pantalon No. 221 at #6E6656 and deltaE 3.96 is close but visibly different side by side, reading browner. Dutch Boy Antiquated Olive 424-6DB at deltaE 4.15 sits cooler and grayer.
Colors That Go With Army Green
White trim does most of the work. Against an LRV of 15 almost any white reads as bright, so pick by temperature: a warm or creamy white keeps the scheme earthy and old-world, while a cleaner white makes the olive look sharper and more modern. Both are valid, but a very blue-based white will fight the yellow undertone.
For a related second color, its Benjamin Moore neighbors give useful shifts. Country Life 1490 at LRV 16 is slightly lighter and warmer, which suits a ceiling or an adjacent hallway when you want continuity. Sterling Forest 518 at LRV 14 is a touch more yellow-olive, and Castle Peak Gray 1561 at LRV 15 is the grayest of the group, useful when you want the same depth with less green.
Materials carry the rest. Walnut, oak, rattan, brown leather, unlacquered brass, and cream linen all sit naturally with it. Terracotta and rust accents work because they are the opposite side of the same warm family.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #6A6855 in HSL space. Pair Army Green with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Army Green FAQ
Is Army Green warm or cool?
Army Green is warm. Its undertone is a warm yellow one, with a hue near 54 degrees, which is why it reads as khaki or olive rather than as a cool forest green. In cool north light that warmth fades and the color can look like a dark gray-brown, but its base character is warm.
What LRV is Army Green?
Army Green 2141-30 has an LRV of 15. On the 0 to 100 scale, that is a deep color. It reflects very little light back into the room, so it adds weight and enclosure rather than brightness. Rooms painted in it depend on windows and lamps for light, not on the walls.
Is Army Green a green or a neutral?
Both, depending on the light. At about 11 percent saturation it is heavily grayed, which is why Benjamin Moore classes it in the neutral family. On a chip it can look like a warm dark gray, while a full sunlit wall clearly reads olive. Nearby colors decide which side you notice.
Does Army Green work in a dark room?
It works if you accept that the room will be dark. At LRV 15 it will not brighten anything, and in weak or cool light the yellow undertone stops showing, leaving a muddy gray-brown. If you want it in a dim room, commit to warm bulbs around 2700K and plenty of lamps, and treat the darkness as the design rather than fighting it.
What white trim goes with Army Green?
Contrast is guaranteed at LRV 15, so choose on temperature. A creamy or warm white flatters the yellow undertone and gives an earthy, traditional look. A cleaner white sharpens the edges and makes the olive look more contemporary. A strongly blue-based white will clash with the warmth and make the walls look duller.
Is Army Green good for exteriors or cabinets?
Yes to both. On cabinets, especially an island, mudroom, or lower run, it gives depth without the coldness of charcoal and pairs easily with brass, bronze, or black hardware. Outdoors it works as shutters, a front door, or a full body color on a wooded lot. Dark exterior colors run hot and fade faster in direct sun, so use an exterior-grade product.
Have you painted with Army Green?
Rate it — one tap helps the next reader decide.
Ask a Question