Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Caviar |
| SKU | SW 6990 |
| Hex | #23272A |
| RGB | 35, 39, 42 |
| HSL | 206°, 9%, 15% |
| LRV | 3 |
| Undertone | cool blue tone |
| Family | Black |
What Color Is Caviar, Really?
Caviar SW 6990 is a near-black with a cool cast. The hex is #23272A and the LRV is 3, which is about as low as architectural paint goes. On a wall or a cabinet it absorbs nearly all the light that reaches it, so it reads as black in most rooms and only shows its character where light hits it directly. The undertone is cool blue, with a hue of 206 degrees and about 9 percent saturation, so the black leans toward deep charcoal rather than brown or green.
People choose Caviar when they want black that does not feel flat. In daylight, on a glossy door or a sheened cabinet, that blue lean gives the surface a slightly inky quality instead of the dead, neutral look of a pure black. On matte walls it simply reads black, but it stays cool, which matters when the room is full of gray stone, steel, or cool whites.
The practical check is context. Against warm woods, brass, and cream whites, the blue cast can make the color feel slightly cold or separate. Against gray, black metal, and clean whites it looks correct. Also plan for touch-ups: at LRV 3 every roller mark and patch shows in raking light.
Caviar's hue sits at 206 degrees, which is blue, and saturation is about 9 percent. In a color this dark, that small amount of saturation is not obvious on a chip, but it is visible where light lands. The hex, #23272A, has blue highest and red lowest, which is the opposite arrangement from a warm black.
The undertone appears in three situations: in direct sunlight on a wall or door, on any surface with sheen, and next to a genuinely neutral black, where Caviar suddenly looks cool. In dim corners and in matte finishes it simply reads black with no direction at all.
Check it against your metals and woods before committing. Warm oak, brass, and cream whites can make the blue cast feel slightly detached, while gray stone, steel, nickel, and cool whites make it look intentional. Sheen amplifies the effect, so test in the finish you plan to use.
Best Rooms and Uses for Caviar
Caviar is most useful on smaller, defined surfaces. Front doors, interior doors, window sash, cabinets, islands, built-in shelving, and fireplace surrounds all suit it, because the color creates a hard graphic edge without swallowing a whole room.
On full walls it works when you want the room to feel enclosed and dramatic: a powder room, a den, a dining room, or a bedroom with good lamp lighting. At LRV 3 the space will read considerably smaller, which is a design choice rather than a problem, but it needs to be a deliberate one.
Outdoors it is a strong exterior accent for shutters, doors, garage doors, and window trim on a light body, and it can carry a whole modern facade when paired with bright trim. Keep in mind that very dark exterior colors run hot in direct sun, so use an exterior-grade product rated for deep bases and expect ordinary fading over years.
How Lighting Changes Caviar
At LRV 3 the color returns almost nothing, so lighting shapes it entirely through highlights rather than through the field of the color.
In north-facing rooms the cool daylight reinforces the blue lean, and Caviar looks like a deep, slightly steely black. In south-facing rooms strong warm sun neutralizes the blue and the surface reads closer to a true black, with visible sheen where the light strikes. East and west rooms show the color mostly at the edges of the day, when low sun rakes across the wall and reveals both the undertone and any surface imperfection.
Bulbs matter for mood more than for hue. Warm 2700K lamps soften the coolness and make a dark room feel enclosed rather than cold; cooler 3500K to 4000K bulbs sharpen the blue and give a more graphic, modern look. Whatever the source, plan for more light overall, since a wall at LRV 3 contributes none of its own.
Most complaints about Caviar are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Caviar vs Similar Colors
The comparison most people make is Caviar against Tricorn Black SW 6258. Both sit at LRV 3, but the hex values separate them: Caviar is #23272A, with blue highest and red lowest, while Tricorn Black is #2F2F30, whose channels are nearly equal. Tricorn Black is therefore the neutral, true black of the two, and Caviar is the cooler, slightly inkier one. On a matte wall the difference is subtle. On a door, a cabinet, or anything with sheen, and especially in cool daylight, it is easy to see.
Other neighbors go further. Weathervane SW 2927 at LRV 2 (#2C201A) is a brown-black, and Black Emerald SW 2936 at LRV 1 (#12221D) is a green-black. Across brands, Valspar Tuxedo 8006-8G is a deltaE of 1.44 and visually identical in normal room light. Benjamin Moore Black PM-9 at 2.62 is very close but worth sampling, and Behr Beluga 770F-7 at 4.26 is close but visibly different side by side.
Colors That Go With Caviar
The main partner for a color at LRV 3 is white. A bright, clean white gives the sharpest contrast and supports the cool blue lean, which is why Caviar reads well in gray-and-white or steel-and-glass rooms. A warm white softens the whole scheme, but it also makes the blue undertone more noticeable by comparison, so sample that pairing before deciding.
Within the same deck, After the Storm SW 9685 at LRV 3 (#2A3037) is the neighbor to consider if you want the blue lean pushed further, while Black Magic SW 6991 at LRV 3 (#323132) is a more neutral near-black for a second surface in the same room.
For materials, Caviar sits naturally with gray stone, marble with cool veining, stainless, nickel, and blackened steel. It works with wood too, but cooler and darker woods read more comfortably against it than orange-toned oak.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6990 directly — but if you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches:
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Caviar 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 #23272A in HSL space. Pair Caviar 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.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Is Caviar a true black or a charcoal?
It is a near-black rather than a pure black. The LRV is 3, so it reads black in almost every room, but the hue sits at 206 degrees with about 9 percent saturation, which gives it a cool blue lean. You see that lean mostly in direct light, on sheened surfaces, or next to a genuinely neutral black.
What LRV is Caviar?
Caviar has an LRV of 3. On the 0 to 100 scale that is at the very bottom, meaning the surface absorbs almost all the light that reaches it and reflects virtually none back into the room. Any space painted in it will need more lamps and more layers of light than a mid-tone room would.
Is Caviar warm or cool?
Cool. Its blue channel is the strongest in the hex value #23272A, and the hue reads at 206 degrees, which is squarely blue. That makes it a good match for gray stone, steel, nickel, and clean whites, and a slightly less comfortable match for orange-toned oak and brass unless you want that contrast.
What white trim goes with Caviar?
A bright, clean white gives the sharpest and most natural pairing, because it supports the cool blue lean and creates maximum contrast against an LRV of 3. A warm white also works and softens the room, but it makes Caviar's coolness more obvious by comparison, so look at both against your actual light before choosing.
Is Caviar good for cabinets and exteriors?
Yes for both, and those are where it shows its character best. On cabinets and doors, sheen lets the blue undertone appear instead of the surface reading as flat black. Outdoors it is a strong shutter, door, and trim color, and it can carry a full modern facade, though very dark exterior colors run hot in sun and need a product rated for deep bases.
How is Caviar different from Tricorn Black?
They share an LRV of 3, so their depth is the same, but their hex values differ. Caviar is #23272A with a clear blue lean, while Tricorn Black SW 6258 is #2F2F30 with nearly equal channels, making it a neutral black. Pick Tricorn Black for a plain, true black and Caviar when you want a cooler, inkier one.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Caviar behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY CAVIAR ON YOUR ROOM →Ask a Question
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