Black (BM PM-9)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Black (BM PM-9) is a very deep, neutral black from Benjamin Moore: LRV 5.1, so it reflects about 5 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Black
Three Benjamin Moore colors picked for Black by this site's color math: a trim white, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Benjamin Moore did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Black, ranked by CIEDE2000 (deltaE): under 1.0 is indistinguishable, 1.0 to 2.3 very close, 2.3 to 5 noticeably different, over 5 clearly different.
| Brand | Closest color | Code | LRV | deltaE | How close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Tricorn Black | SW 6258 | 3 | 1.2 | very close |
| Behr | Limousine Leather | MQ5-05 | 4.5 | 5.3 | clearly different |
| Valspar | Dark Kettle Black | 4011-2 | 5 | 6.6 | clearly different |
| PPG Paints | Black Magic | 1001-7 | 5 | 6.7 | clearly different |
Lighter and darker in Benjamin Moore
The Benjamin Moore black colors nearest to Black (LRV 5.1) by LRV.
Lighter than Black
Darker than Black
Color data
| Brand | Benjamin Moore |
|---|---|
| Color code | PM-9 |
| Hex | #2B2C2D |
| RGB | 43, 44, 45 |
| HSL | 210°, 2%, 17% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 5.1 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 17.9, -0.2, -0.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Black |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Black (BM PM-9), published as #2B2C2D
#1D242B
#39342D
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Benjamin Moore
More from Benjamin Moore
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Black (BM PM-9)?
- Black has an LRV of 5.1. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Black is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Black in another brand?
- Tricorn Black (SW 6258) from Sherwin-Williams, at a deltaE of 1.2 (very close).
- Is Black warm or cool?
- Benjamin Moore lists Black as neutral, with a Neutral undertone. Its Lab b* value is -0.8; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.