Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Black Emerald |
| SKU | SW 2936 |
| Hex | #12221D |
| RGB | 18, 34, 29 |
| HSL | 161°, 31%, 10% |
| LRV | 1 |
| Undertone | near-black with subtle hue |
| Family | Black |
About Sherwin-Williams Black Emerald
At LRV 1, Black Emerald 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 Emerald 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 at every US brand
13 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.
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
Behr
Dutch Boy
Kompozit
C2 Paint
Backdrop
Diamond Vogel
PPG / Glidden
Magnolia Home
Dunn-Edwards
Farrow & Ball
Clare
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Black Emerald within Sherwin-Williams'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 #12221D in HSL space. Pair Black Emerald 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.
Sherwin-Williams Black Emerald Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Black Emerald 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 Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Black Emerald
Benjamin Moore doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Black Forest Green (HC-187), is clearly different (ΔE 5.58). For an exact match, any Benjamin Moore retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Black Forest Green swatch →
Behr Equivalent of Black Emerald
Behr doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Beluga (770F-7), is clearly different (ΔE 7.59). For an exact match, any Behr retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Beluga swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Black Emerald
Kompozit doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Silent Sea (0515), is clearly different (ΔE 10.32). For an exact match, any Kompozit retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Silent Sea swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of Black Emerald
Valspar doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Tuxedo (8006-8G), is clearly different (ΔE 10.49). For an exact match, any Valspar retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Tuxedo swatch →
Dutch Boy Equivalent of Black Emerald
Dutch Boy doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, True Black (438-7DB), is clearly different (ΔE 11.38). For an exact match, any Dutch Boy retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full True Black swatch →
Backdrop Equivalent of Black Emerald
Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Hocus Pocus (BD-HP), is clearly different (ΔE 11.65). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Hocus Pocus swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Black Emerald
Diamond Vogel doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Grantsburg Gray (H101), is clearly different (ΔE 12.88). For an exact match, any Diamond Vogel retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Grantsburg Gray swatch →
Magnolia Home Equivalent of Black Emerald
Magnolia Home doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Blackboard (JG-05), is clearly different (ΔE 12.94). For an exact match, any Magnolia Home retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Blackboard swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Black Emerald
PPG / Glidden doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Starless Sky (PPG0995-7), is clearly different (ΔE 13.22). For an exact match, any PPG / Glidden retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Starless Sky swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Black Emerald
Dunn-Edwards doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Black (DEA002), is clearly different (ΔE 13.67). For an exact match, any Dunn-Edwards retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Black swatch →
Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Black Emerald
Farrow & Ball doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Pitch Black (NO. 256), is clearly different (ΔE 13.75). For an exact match, any Farrow & Ball retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Pitch Black swatch →
Clare Equivalent of Black Emerald
Clare doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Blackish (PNT100-DP-54), is clearly different (ΔE 16.18). For an exact match, any Clare retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Blackish swatch →
C2 Paint Equivalent of Black Emerald
C2 Paint doesn't make a true equivalent of Black Emerald — the nearest deck color, Angus (BD49), is clearly different (ΔE 18.79). For an exact match, any C2 Paint retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 2936 instead. See the full Angus swatch →