CP
DUNN-EDWARDS · DESS49

Dunn-Edwards Cordovan Brown#4C4340 · LRV 6

Cordovan Brown reads as a red / warm — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Dunn-Edwards DESS49 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

DUNN-EDWARDS CORDOVAN BROWN
RGB 76, 67, 64 LRV 6

Color spec

Brand Dunn-Edwards
Name Cordovan Brown
SKU DESS49
Hex #4C4340
RGB 76, 67, 64
HSL 15°, 9%, 27%
LRV 6
Undertone red / warm
Family Neutral

About Dunn-Edwards Cordovan Brown

At LRV 6, Cordovan Brown 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 red 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.

Cordovan Brown earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Greige-leaning neutrals like this are the safe whole-home choice when you want warmth without committing to a color.

Closest matches at every US brand

13 brands · top 5 each

5 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 neutral from that brand.

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.61
All neutral at Behr →
PPU5-20 · #4C423F · ΔE 0.61 · LRV 6
QE-24 · #4F4340 · ΔE 1.61 · LRV 6
PPU5-01 · #4C443E · ΔE 2.13 · LRV 6
PPU5-1 · #4C443E · ΔE 2.13 · LRV 6
HDC-AC-26 · #4A4143 · ΔE 3.14 · LRV 6

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.65
All neutral at Benjamin Moore →
ES-62 · #4A4442 · ΔE 1.65 · LRV 0
CSP-240 · #4E433D · ΔE 1.84 · LRV 8
2130-20 · #494242 · ΔE 1.99 · LRV 7
2134-10 · #4B433D · ΔE 2.13 · LRV 6
ES-67 · #4F423B · ΔE 2.73 · LRV 0

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.81
All neutral at Kompozit →
0557 · #463E3B · ΔE 1.81 · LRV 5
0536 · #454543 · ΔE 5.33 · LRV 6
0578 · #4D483D · ΔE 6.13 · LRV 7
0508 · #46474A · ΔE 6.19 · LRV 6
0452 · #484435 · ΔE 8.36 · LRV 6

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.86
All neutral at Dutch Boy →
443-7DB · #504844 · ΔE 1.86 · LRV 7
439-7DB · #4F4842 · ΔE 2.89 · LRV 7
405-7DB · #48423C · ΔE 3.02 · LRV 6
406-7DB · #503E36 · ΔE 4.91 · LRV 5
446-7DB · #4E4247 · ΔE 5.21 · LRV 6

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.88
All neutral at PPG / Glidden →
PPG1005-7 · #4F453F · ΔE 1.88 · LRV 6
PPG1002-7 · #4B4540 · ΔE 2.49 · LRV 6
PPG15-24 · #544642 · ΔE 2.83 · LRV 7
PPG1011-7 · #464545 · ΔE 4.57 · LRV 6
PPG1003-7 · #49454B · ΔE 5.62 · LRV 6

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.92
All neutral at Valspar →
T501 · #4F4845 · ΔE 1.92 · LRV 6.7
8006-2G · #4A4641 · ΔE 3.63 · LRV 6
6011-2 · #4C3E36 · ΔE 3.7 · LRV 5.2
3010-10 · #524237 · ΔE 4.95 · LRV 5.9
4005-2C · #46484A · ΔE 6.63 · LRV 6.5

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.15
All neutral at Diamond Vogel →
H142 · #50433E · ΔE 2.15 · LRV 6
0144 · #524541 · ΔE 2.22 · LRV 6
0543 · #4C4845 · ΔE 3.21 · LRV 7
1229 · #4D4449 · ΔE 4.83 · LRV 6
H098 · #454742 · ΔE 7.38 · LRV 6

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.63
All neutral at Magnolia Home →
JG-131 · #544846 · ΔE 2.63 · LRV 7
JG-149 · #514647 · ΔE 3.1 · LRV 7
JG-122 · #524840 · ΔE 3.32 · LRV 7
JG-145 · #4D484C · ΔE 4.69 · LRV 7
JG-144 · #48474C · ΔE 5.98 · LRV 6

Farrow & Ball

209 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.64
All neutral at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 36 · #534644 · ΔE 2.64 · LRV 7
NO. 255 · #4F4A4A · ΔE 3.35 · LRV 7
NO. 294 · #484348 · ΔE 4.95 · LRV 6
NO. 57 · #454749 · ΔE 6.59 · LRV 6
NO. 31 · #45494C · ΔE 7.9 · LRV 7

Sherwin-Williams

1,947 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.89
All neutral at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 7020 · #4F4842 · ΔE 2.89 · LRV 7
SW 7675 · #48423C · ΔE 3.02 · LRV 6
SW 6041 · #56433B · ΔE 5.1 · LRV 6
SW 6272 · #4E4247 · ΔE 5.21 · LRV 6
SW 7069 · #434341 · ΔE 5.37 · LRV 6

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.05
All neutral at C2 Paint →
C2-821 · #4A4244 · ΔE 3.05 · LRV 6
C2-837 · #48443F · ΔE 3.59 · LRV 6
C2-949 · #423F40 · ΔE 4.1 · LRV 5
C2-965 · #464646 · ΔE 5.17 · LRV 6
C2-933 · #40423F · ΔE 6.98 · LRV 5

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.72
All neutral at Clare →
PNT100-DP-54 · #484745 · ΔE 4.72 · LRV 6
PNT100-DP-55 · #515052 · ΔE 6.31 · LRV 8
PNT100-DP-77 · #604B56 · ΔE 10.35 · LRV 8
PNT100-DP-42 · #545E66 · ΔE 13.76 · LRV 11
PNT100-DP-67 · #7C4D4C · ΔE 15.56 · LRV 10

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 8.23
All neutral at Backdrop →
BD-IT · #5C4435 · ΔE 8.23 · LRV 7
BD-AH · #3D423E · ΔE 9.07 · LRV 6
BD-LC · #3F4458 · ΔE 12.64 · LRV 6
BD-NE · #3D4D3F · ΔE 16.51 · LRV 7
BD-WK · #3F546B · ΔE 16.77 · LRV 8

Similar Dunn-Edwards colors

closest in the Dunn-Edwards deck

The nearest shades to Cordovan Brown within Dunn-Edwards's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

DEBN44 · LRV 6
DEBN07 · LRV 6
DEB007 · LRV 6
DEBN80 · LRV 6
DET691 · LRV 6
DET680 · LRV 7

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #4C4340 in HSL space. Pair Cordovan Brown with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#4C4340 + #40494C
TRIADIC
#4C4340 · #404C43 · #43404C
ANALOGOUS
#4C4043 · #4C4340 · #4C4940

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
9.61:1 AAA
Sample text on black
2.18:1 fail

WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.

Dunn-Edwards Cordovan Brown Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Cordovan Brown from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DESS49 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Behr Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

The closest Behr equivalent of Cordovan Brown is Sweet Molasses (PPU5-20). At ΔE 0.61 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same warm red undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6). If Behr is your counter, order Sweet Molasses and you'll get the same color. See the full Sweet Molasses swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

Benjamin Moore's nearest match is Cordovan Brown (ES-62), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.65). It runs noticeably darker (LRV 0 vs 6) and carries a warm red undertone, so it substitutes for Cordovan Brown without repainting risk. See the full Cordovan Brown swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Cordovan Brown is Canton Court (H142) — very close at ΔE 2.15, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Canton Court swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

At PPG / Glidden, the closest color to Cordovan Brown is Phantom Mist (PPG1002-7) — very close at ΔE 2.49, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Phantom Mist swatch →

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

At Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Cordovan Brown is Sealskin (SW 7675) — very close at ΔE 3.02, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Sealskin swatch →

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

At Dutch Boy, the closest color to Cordovan Brown is Charcoal Brick (405-7DB) — very close at ΔE 3.02, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Charcoal Brick swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

At Magnolia Home, the closest color to Cordovan Brown is Pecan Grove (JG-149) — very close at ΔE 3.1, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 7 vs 6) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Pecan Grove swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

C2 Paint has no exact twin of Cordovan Brown. The nearest is French Roast (C2-837) at ΔE 3.59 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full French Roast swatch →

Valspar Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

Valspar has no exact twin of Cordovan Brown. The nearest is Ebony Keys (8006-2G) at ΔE 3.63 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Ebony Keys swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

Clare has no exact twin of Cordovan Brown. The nearest is Blackish (PNT100-DP-54) at ΔE 4.72 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Blackish swatch →

Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

Farrow & Ball has no exact twin of Cordovan Brown. The nearest is Paean Black (NO. 294) at ΔE 4.95 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 6). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Paean Black swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

Kompozit doesn't make a true equivalent of Cordovan Brown — the nearest deck color, Subway (0536), is clearly different (ΔE 5.33). For an exact match, any Kompozit retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DESS49 instead. See the full Subway swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Cordovan Brown

Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Cordovan Brown — the nearest deck color, After Hours (BD-AH), is clearly different (ΔE 9.07). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DESS49 instead. See the full After Hours swatch →

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