Valspar Dante's Cardigan#8F3028 · LRV 8.2
Dante's Cardigan reads as a red / warm — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Valspar M251 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Color spec
| Brand | Valspar |
| Name | Dante's Cardigan |
| SKU | M251 |
| Hex | #8F3028 |
| RGB | 143, 48, 40 |
| HSL | 5°, 56%, 36% |
| LRV | 8.2 |
| Undertone | red / warm |
| Family | Brown |
About Valspar Dante's Cardigan
At LRV 8.2, Dante's Cardigan 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 red 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.
Dante's Cardigan earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Browns ground a room and pair naturally with leather, wood and warm metals.
Kompozit alternative
The closest hex in the Kompozit deck, ranked by ΔE2000 (perceptual color difference). ΔE under 2 is indistinguishable to most eyes; under 5 is a very close visual match.
Closest matches at every US brand
9 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 brown from that brand.
Behr
Sherwin-Williams
Benjamin Moore
Backdrop
Magnolia Home
Dunn-Edwards
PPG / Glidden
Farrow & Ball
Clare
Similar Valspar colors
closest in the Valspar deckThe nearest shades to Dante's Cardigan within Valspar'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 #8F3028 in HSL space. Pair Dante's Cardigan 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.