Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green#242E2C · LRV 5
Black Forest Green reads as a blue-green / cool — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Benjamin Moore HC-187 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Color spec
| Brand | Benjamin Moore |
| Name | Black Forest Green |
| SKU | HC-187 |
| Hex | #242E2C |
| RGB | 36, 46, 44 |
| HSL | 168°, 12%, 16% |
| LRV | 5 |
| Undertone | blue-green / cool |
| Family | Black |
About Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green
At LRV 5, Black Forest Green 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. Its teal undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.
Black Forest Green earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Near-blacks like this are best as contrast — doors, trim, cabinets, window frames.
Kompozit alternative
The closest hex in the Kompozit deck, ranked by ΔE2000 (perceptual color difference). ΔE under 2 is indistinguishable to most eyes; under 5 is a very close visual match.
Closest matches at every US brand
9 brands · top 5 each5 closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all black from that brand.
Behr
Valspar
Sherwin-Williams
Backdrop
Dunn-Edwards
Magnolia Home
PPG / Glidden
Farrow & Ball
Clare
Similar Benjamin Moore colors
closest in the Benjamin Moore deckThe nearest shades to Black Forest 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.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #242E2C in HSL space. Pair Black Forest Green 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.