CP

Valspar Cracked Pepper4011-1 · #3D3B36 · LRV 5

Why this color. Valspar's name-shared dark neutral, widely searched alongside Behr's.

Cracked Pepper reads as a warm red-orange tone — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the color's details, what Valspar 4011-1 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

VALSPAR CRACKED PEPPER
RGB 61, 59, 54LRV 5

Color spec

BrandValspar
NameCracked Pepper
SKU4011-1
Hex#3D3B36
RGB61, 59, 54
HSL43°, 6%, 23%
LRV5
Undertonewarm red-orange tone
FamilyBlack
See Valspar Cracked Pepper on your own walls — upload a room photo.SEE IT IN YOUR ROOM →

About Valspar Cracked Pepper

At LRV 5, Cracked Pepper 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 orange 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.

Cracked Pepper 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 3.38
All black at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 9600 · #413D3C · ΔE 3.38 · LRV 5
SW 6994 · #373A3A · ΔE 3.96 · LRV 4

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.54
All black at Behr →
N210-7 · #403C35 · ΔE 1.54 · LRV 5
MQ5-05 · #3B3C3B · ΔE 2.81 · LRV 4
QE-64 · #3C3D3D · ΔE 3.38 · LRV 5
MQ5-5 · #3C3C3D · ΔE 3.87 · LRV 5

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.91
All black at Benjamin Moore →
2133-20 · #3D3D3E · ΔE 3.91 · LRV 5
2135-10 · #393D3C · ΔE 3.99 · LRV 6
2120-20 · #3A3C3E · ΔE 4.71 · LRV 6

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.38
All black at PPG / Glidden →
PPG0995-7 · #3C3D3D · ΔE 3.38 · LRV 5
PPG1001-7 · #404040 · ΔE 3.56 · LRV 5

Glidden

3,101 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.38
All black at Glidden →
PPG0995-7 · #3C3D3D · ΔE 3.38 · LRV 5
PPG1001-7 · #414040 · ΔE 3.6 · LRV 5
00NN 05/000 · #3C3B3C · ΔE 3.89 · LRV 5

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.48
All black at Dutch Boy →
437-7DB · #41403E · ΔE 2.48 · LRV 5
438-6DB · #413C39 · ΔE 2.71 · LRV 5
423-7DB · #424036 · ΔE 3.17 · LRV 5

Dunn-Edwards

2,298 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.19
All black at Dunn-Edwards →
DESS50 · #3C3C3C · ΔE 3.19 · LRV 5
DEA002 · #3B3A3A · ΔE 3.2 · LRV 4
DE6350 · #3E3F41 · ΔE 4.75 · LRV 5

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.83
All black at Magnolia Home →
JG-150 · #3F3632 · ΔE 4.83 · LRV 4

Farrow & Ball

209 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.67
All black at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 256 · #3B3938 · ΔE 2.67 · LRV 4

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.91
All black at Diamond Vogel →
0515 · #3D3D3E · ΔE 3.91 · LRV 5
H101 · #393A3B · ΔE 3.97 · LRV 4
H098 · #454742 · ΔE 4.46 · LRV 6

Hirshfield's

1,469 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.75
All black at Hirshfield's →
0543 · #423F3B · ΔE 1.75 · LRV 7
0529 · #3A3B3B · ΔE 3.33 · LRV 6
H0101 · #383839 · ΔE 3.98 · LRV 4

Rodda

357 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.91
All black at Rodda →
R018 · #424242 · ΔE 3.91 · LRV 6
CA213 · #443F3E · ΔE 4.02 · LRV 5
CA222 · #474140 · ΔE 4.75 · LRV 5

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.18
All black at C2 Paint →
C2-981 · #3B3B3B · ΔE 3.18 · LRV 4
C2-949 · #423F40 · ΔE 4.5 · LRV 5

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.39
All black at Clare →
PNT100-DP-54 · #484745 · ΔE 4.39 · LRV 6

Portola Paints

69 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.75
All black at Portola Paints →
BLACK SKY · #434545 · ΔE 4.75 · LRV 6

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.54
All black at Backdrop →
BD-AH · #3D423E · ΔE 4.54 · LRV 6

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.75
All black at Kompozit →
0543 · #423F3B · ΔE 1.75 · LRV 5
0529 · #3A3B3B · ΔE 3.33 · LRV 4

Similar Valspar colors

closest in the Valspar deck

The nearest shades to Cracked Pepper within Valspar's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

8005-1G · LRV 5
8006-4G · LRV 5
V120-3 · LRV 4.5
T699 · LRV 4.9
4002-2C · LRV 4
6010-2 · LRV 4.6

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #3D3B36 in HSL space. Pair Cracked Pepper with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#3D3B36 + #36383D
TRIADIC
#3D3B36 · #363D3B · #3B363D
ANALOGOUS
#3D3836 · #3D3B36 · #3C3D36

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
11.19:1AAA
Sample text on black
1.88:1fail

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

Valspar Cracked Pepper Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Cracked Pepper 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 Valspar 4011-1 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

Sherwin-Williams has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is Greenblack (SW 6994) at ΔE 3.96 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Greenblack swatch →

Behr Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

Behr's nearest match is Havana Coffee (N210-7), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.54). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 5 vs 5) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Cracked Pepper without repainting risk. See the full Havana Coffee swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

Benjamin Moore has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is Blacktop (2135-10) at ΔE 3.99 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Blacktop swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

At PPG / Glidden, the closest color to Cracked Pepper is Starless Sky (PPG0995-7) — very close at ΔE 3.38, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 5 vs 5) 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 Cracked Pepper

Glidden has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is Onyx Black (00NN 05/000) at ΔE 3.89 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 5 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Onyx Black swatch →

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

At Dutch Boy, the closest color to Cracked Pepper is Ebony Sky (438-6DB) — very close at ΔE 2.71, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 5 vs 5) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Ebony Sky swatch →

Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

At Dunn-Edwards, the closest color to Cracked Pepper is Black (DEA002) — very close at ΔE 3.2, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 5) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Black swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

Magnolia Home has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is Moments (JG-150) at ΔE 4.83 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Moments swatch →

Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

At Farrow & Ball, the closest color to Cracked Pepper is Pitch Black (NO. 256) — very close at ΔE 2.67, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 5) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Pitch Black swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

Diamond Vogel has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is Grantsburg Gray (H101) at ΔE 3.97 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Grantsburg Gray swatch →

Hirshfield's Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

At Hirshfield's, the closest color to Cracked Pepper is Black Licorice (0529) — very close at ΔE 3.33, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 5) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Black Licorice swatch →

Rodda Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

Rodda has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is French Roast (CA213) at ΔE 4.02 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 5 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full French Roast swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

At C2 Paint, the closest color to Cracked Pepper is Aperture (C2-981) — very close at ΔE 3.18, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 5) 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 Cracked Pepper

Clare has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is Blackish (PNT100-DP-54) at ΔE 4.39 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Blackish swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

Backdrop has no exact twin of Cracked Pepper. The nearest is After Hours (BD-AH) at ΔE 4.54 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 6 vs 5). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full After Hours swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Cracked Pepper

At Kompozit, the closest color to Cracked Pepper is Black Licorice (0529) — very close at ΔE 3.33, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 4 vs 5) 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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