Color spec
| Brand | Portola Paints |
| Name | Story Teller |
| SKU | Story Teller |
| Hex | #2E3133 |
| RGB | 46, 49, 51 |
| HSL | 204°, 5%, 19% |
| LRV | 3 |
| Undertone | cool blue tone |
| Family | Black |
About Portola Paints Story Teller
At LRV 3, Story Teller 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.
Story Teller 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
16 brands within ΔE 5The 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
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
PPG / Glidden
Glidden
Dutch Boy
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
Dunn-Edwards
Magnolia Home
Farrow & Ball
Diamond Vogel
Hirshfield's
C2 Paint
Rust-Oleum
Kompozit
Similar Portola Paints colors
closest in the Portola Paints deckThe nearest shades to Story Teller within Portola Paints'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 #2E3133 in HSL space. Pair Story Teller 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.
Portola Paints Story Teller Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Story Teller 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 Portola Paints Story Teller directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Story Teller
At Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Story Teller is Caviar (SW 6990) — very close at ΔE 2.51, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 3 vs 3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Caviar swatch →
Behr Equivalent of Story Teller
At Behr, the closest color to Story Teller is Blackout (N510-7) — very close at ΔE 2.29, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 3 vs 3) and carries a cool blue-green undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Blackout swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Story Teller
Benjamin Moore's nearest match is Black (2132-10), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.84). It runs slightly lighter (LRV 5 vs 3) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Story Teller without repainting risk. See the full Black swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of Story Teller
At Valspar, the closest color to Story Teller is Tomcat (8006-12G) — very close at ΔE 2.07, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 3 vs 3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Tomcat swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Story Teller
PPG / Glidden has no exact twin of Story Teller. The nearest is Starless Sky (PPG0995-7) at ΔE 4.28 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 5 vs 3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Starless Sky swatch →
Glidden Equivalent of Story Teller
Glidden has no exact twin of Story Teller. The nearest is Onyx Black (00NN 05/000) at ΔE 4.27 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 5 vs 3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Onyx Black swatch →
Dutch Boy Equivalent of Story Teller
Dutch Boy's nearest match is True Black (438-7DB), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.89). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 3 vs 3) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Story Teller without repainting risk. See the full True Black swatch →
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Story Teller
At HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Story Teller is Caviar (HGSW 6990) — very close at ΔE 2.51, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 3 vs 3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Caviar swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Story Teller
Dunn-Edwards has no exact twin of Story Teller. The nearest is Black (DEA002) at ΔE 4.05 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Black swatch →
Magnolia Home Equivalent of Story Teller
At Magnolia Home, the closest color to Story Teller is Blackboard (JG-05) — very close at ΔE 2.86, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 3 vs 3) and carries a cool blue undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Blackboard swatch →
Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Story Teller
Farrow & Ball has no exact twin of Story Teller. The nearest is Smelt Black (NO. G18) at ΔE 4.22 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 5 vs 3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Smelt Black swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Story Teller
At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Story Teller is Grantsburg Gray (H101) — very close at ΔE 3.26, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 3) 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 Story Teller
At Hirshfield's, the closest color to Story Teller is Silent Sea (0515) — very close at ΔE 2.18, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 5 vs 3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Silent Sea swatch →
Rust-Oleum Equivalent of Story Teller
At Rust-Oleum, the closest color to Story Teller is Charcoal (285144) — very close at ΔE 3.3, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 3) and carries a cool blue undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Charcoal swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Story Teller
At Kompozit, the closest color to Story Teller is Silent Sea (0515) — very close at ΔE 2.18, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 2 vs 3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Silent Sea swatch →