Benjamin Moore Cinder

With an LRV of 14, Cinder is a contrast color, not a whole-home color. It works best where you want weight and definition: an accent wall behind a bed or sofa, a home office, a dining room, a powder room, or a media room where low light reflectance is actually an advantage.

Cabinets are one of its strongest uses. Cinder on a kitchen island or full lower cabinets gives the depth of black without the harshness, and its lack of a strong undertone means it will not clash with countertops or hardware. It also makes an excellent interior door color and a solid front door against lighter siding.

As a whole-room wall color, reserve it for rooms with generous windows or embrace the cocoon effect deliberately, pairing it with plenty of light trim and textiles. On exteriors it performs well on siding, shutters and doors, where dark colors read less heavy than they do indoors. It is not a trim color; keep trim lighter.

At an LRV of 14, Cinder bounces back only a small fraction of the light that hits it, so lighting changes its apparent depth more than its apparent color. In a bright, south-facing room it holds its charcoal identity but looks a shade lighter and softer, closer to a deep gray than a near-black. In north-facing light it darkens noticeably and can feel heavy, so plan for good artificial lighting there.

East-facing rooms show Cinder at its lightest in the morning and moodiest by evening; west-facing rooms do the reverse, with a warmer cast late in the day.

Bulb temperature matters too. Warm bulbs around 2700K bring out the faint softness in Cinder and keep a dark room inviting. Cool daylight bulbs push it toward a harder, steelier look. Because this is a dark color that needs strong daylight or warm bulbs to stay livable, sample it at night under your actual fixtures before committing.

Benjamin Moore has several charcoals within a few LRV points of Cinder, and the differences come down to undertone and depth.

Flint AF-560, at LRV 12, is the closest rival but leans cool, with a subtle blue-green cast. In a north-facing room Flint can read steely where Cinder stays even-keeled. Choose Flint if your palette already runs cool; choose Cinder if you want a charcoal that stays neutral next to warm floors and furniture.

Gray 2121-10, also LRV 12, is a straightforward darker gray that sits very close to Cinder but with slightly less light reflectance, so it reads a touch heavier in dim rooms. Temptation 1609, at LRV 11, tips clearly toward blue-gray and is the pick when you want your charcoal to feel cooler and moodier, for example in a study with cool white trim. In most mixed-finish homes, Cinder is the safest of the group because it commits to no direction.

Because Cinder has no strong undertone, it pairs cleanly across warm and cool palettes. For trim, Chantilly Lace OC-65 is the crispest choice: at LRV 92 it gives maximum contrast and a sharp, modern edge against the charcoal. If you want a softer meeting point, White Dove OC-17 at LRV 85 warms the pairing slightly and works well when Cinder goes on cabinets.

For a second wall color in adjoining rooms, Revere Pewter HC-172 at LRV 56 is a natural partner; it keeps the palette in the same quiet neutral family while lightening things up considerably. Edgecomb Gray HC-173 at LRV 63 does the same job with a bit more warmth.

For an accent or front door alongside Cinder siding or built-ins, Hale Navy HC-154 at LRV 6 adds a deep blue note without fighting the gray. Warm wood tones like white oak and walnut, plus brass or matte black hardware, all sit comfortably against Cinder.