CP

Farrow & Ball Off-BlackNo. 57 · #3A3A36 · LRV 7

Why this color. F&B's softer alternative to Pitch Black; the editorial near-black for trim.

Off-Black reads as a true neutral (no measurable hue) — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Farrow & Ball No. 57 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

FARROW & BALL OFF-BLACK
RGB 58, 58, 54LRV 7

Color spec

BrandFarrow & Ball
NameOff-Black
SKUNo. 57
Hex#3A3A36
RGB58, 58, 54
HSL60°, 4%, 22%
LRV7
Undertonetrue neutral (no measurable hue)
FamilyBlack

About Farrow & Ball Off-Black

At LRV 7, Off-Black 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.

Off-Black 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.

Closest matches by brand

17 brands within ΔE 5

The closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Only colors within ΔE 5 (close enough to substitute on a wall) are shown — brands with no real match are left off. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all black from that brand.

Sherwin-Williams

1,947 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.84
All black at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 6994 · #373A3A · ΔE 2.84 · LRV 4
SW 6216 · #343B36 · ΔE 4.21 · LRV 4

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.02
All black at Behr →
MQ5-05 · #3B3C3B · ΔE 2.02 · LRV 4
N210-7 · #403C35 · ΔE 2.88 · LRV 5
MQ5-5 · #3C3C3D · ΔE 3.47 · LRV 5
780F-7 · #353C39 · ΔE 3.97 · LRV 4

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.78
All black at Benjamin Moore →
2128-10 · #393736 · ΔE 2.78 · LRV 4
2126-10 · #38393A · ΔE 3.29 · LRV 6
CW-510 · #363A32 · ΔE 3.67 · LRV 6
2132-20 · #383A3C · ΔE 3.95 · LRV 6

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.55
All black at Valspar →
8005-1G · #3F3E39 · ΔE 1.55 · LRV 5
8006-4G · #3C3E3C · ΔE 1.99 · LRV 5
V123-3 · #3C3E3C · ΔE 1.99 · LRV 4.8
V120-3 · #3A3C3D · ΔE 3.34 · LRV 4.5

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.76
All black at PPG / Glidden →
PPG0995-7 · #3C3D3D · ΔE 2.76 · LRV 5
PPG1001-7 · #404040 · ΔE 3.36 · LRV 5

Glidden

3,101 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.76
All black at Glidden →
PPG0995-7 · #3C3D3D · ΔE 2.76 · LRV 5
PPG1001-7 · #414040 · ΔE 3.61 · LRV 5
00NN 05/000 · #3C3B3C · ΔE 3.66 · LRV 5

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.66
All black at Dutch Boy →
438-6DB · #413C39 · ΔE 3.66 · LRV 5
424-7DB · #343B36 · ΔE 4.21 · LRV 4
HGSW 3291 · #343B36 · ΔE 4.21 · LRV 4
HGSW 6216 · #343B36 · ΔE 4.21 · LRV 4

Dunn-Edwards

2,298 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.75
All black at Dunn-Edwards →
DESS50 · #3C3C3C · ΔE 2.75 · LRV 5
DEA002 · #3B3A3A · ΔE 2.93 · LRV 4
DE6350 · #3E3F41 · ΔE 4.3 · LRV 5

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.27
All black at Diamond Vogel →
H101 · #393A3B · ΔE 3.27 · LRV 4
0515 · #3D3D3E · ΔE 3.55 · LRV 5
H098 · #454742 · ΔE 4.37 · LRV 6

Hirshfield's

1,469 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.59
All black at Hirshfield's →
0529 · #3A3B3B · ΔE 2.59 · LRV 6
H0101 · #383839 · ΔE 3.43 · LRV 4

Rodda

357 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.8
All black at Rodda →
R018 · #424242 · ΔE 3.8 · LRV 6
CA213 · #443F3E · ΔE 4.72 · LRV 5

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.68
All black at C2 Paint →
C2-981 · #3B3B3B · ΔE 2.68 · LRV 4
C2-949 · #423F40 · ΔE 4.76 · LRV 5

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.7
All black at Clare →
PNT100-DP-54 · #484745 · ΔE 4.7 · LRV 6

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.71
All black at Backdrop →
BD-AH · #3D423E · ΔE 3.71 · LRV 6

Rust-Oleum

16 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.88
All black at Rust-Oleum →
285144 · #363B3E · ΔE 4.88 · LRV 4

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.59
All black at Kompozit →
0529 · #3A3B3B · ΔE 2.59 · LRV 4
0543 · #423F3B · ΔE 2.7 · LRV 5

Similar Farrow & Ball colors

closest in the Farrow & Ball deck

The nearest shades to Off-Black within Farrow & Ball's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

No. 256 · LRV 4
No. 294 · LRV 6
No. 31 · LRV 7
No. 36 · LRV 7
No. 93 · LRV 7
No. 255 · LRV 7

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #3A3A36 in HSL space. Pair Off-Black with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#3A3A36 + #36363A
TRIADIC
#3A3A36 · #363A3A · #3A363A
ANALOGOUS
#3A3836 · #3A3A36 · #383A36

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
11.42:1AAA
Sample text on black
1.84:1fail

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

Farrow & Ball Off-Black Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Off-Black 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 Farrow & Ball No. 57 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Off-Black

At Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Off-Black is Greenblack (SW 6994) — very close at ΔE 2.84, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Greenblack swatch →

Behr Equivalent of Off-Black

At Behr, the closest color to Off-Black is Limousine Leather (MQ5-05) — very close at ΔE 2.02, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Limousine Leather swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Off-Black

At Benjamin Moore, the closest color to Off-Black is Black Tar (2126-10) — very close at ΔE 3.29, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Black Tar swatch →

Valspar Equivalent of Off-Black

At Valspar, the closest color to Off-Black is Black Heron (V120-3) — very close at ΔE 3.34, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4.5 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Black Heron swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Off-Black

At PPG / Glidden, the closest color to Off-Black is Starless Sky (PPG0995-7) — very close at ΔE 2.76, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 5 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Starless Sky swatch →

Glidden Equivalent of Off-Black

Glidden has no exact twin of Off-Black. The nearest is Onyx Black (00NN 05/000) at ΔE 3.66 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly darker (LRV 5 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Onyx Black swatch →

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Off-Black

Dutch Boy has no exact twin of Off-Black. The nearest is Rugged Green (424-7DB) at ΔE 4.21 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Rugged Green swatch →

HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Off-Black

HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams has no exact twin of Off-Black. The nearest is Jasper (HGSW 3291) at ΔE 4.21 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Jasper swatch →

Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Off-Black

At Dunn-Edwards, the closest color to Off-Black is Black (DEA002) — very close at ΔE 2.93, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Black swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Off-Black

At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Off-Black is Grantsburg Gray (H101) — very close at ΔE 3.27, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Grantsburg Gray swatch →

Hirshfield's Equivalent of Off-Black

At Hirshfield's, the closest color to Off-Black is Black Licorice (0529) — very close at ΔE 2.59, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Black Licorice swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Off-Black

At C2 Paint, the closest color to Off-Black is Aperture (C2-981) — very close at ΔE 2.68, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Aperture swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Off-Black

Clare has no exact twin of Off-Black. The nearest is Blackish (PNT100-DP-54) at ΔE 4.7 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Blackish swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Off-Black

Backdrop has no exact twin of Off-Black. The nearest is After Hours (BD-AH) at ΔE 3.71 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full After Hours swatch →

Rust-Oleum Equivalent of Off-Black

Rust-Oleum has no exact twin of Off-Black. The nearest is Charcoal (285144) at ΔE 4.88 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Charcoal swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Off-Black

At Kompozit, the closest color to Off-Black is Black Licorice (0529) — very close at ΔE 2.59, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 4 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Black Licorice swatch →

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