Valspar Dark Chocolate#493D34 · LRV 5
Dark Chocolate reads as a red-orange / warm — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Valspar M257 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Color spec
| Brand | Valspar |
| Name | Dark Chocolate |
| SKU | M257 |
| Hex | #493D34 |
| RGB | 73, 61, 52 |
| HSL | 26°, 17%, 25% |
| LRV | 5 |
| Undertone | red-orange / warm |
| Family | Neutral |
About Valspar Dark Chocolate
At LRV 5, Dark Chocolate 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.
Dark Chocolate earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. Greige-leaning neutrals like this are the safe whole-home choice when you want warmth without committing to a color.
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 neutral from that brand.
Sherwin-Williams
Benjamin Moore
Behr
PPG / Glidden
Magnolia Home
Farrow & Ball
Backdrop
Clare
Similar Valspar colors
closest in the Valspar deckThe nearest shades to Dark Chocolate 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 #493D34 in HSL space. Pair Dark Chocolate 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.