Licorice (PPG 1009-7)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Licorice (PPG 1009-7) is a very deep, neutral gray from PPG Paints: LRV 8, so it reflects about 8 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Licorice
Three PPG Paints colors picked for Licorice by this site's color math: a trim white, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. PPG Paints did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Licorice, 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 | Shade-Grown | SW 6188 | 8 | 2.1 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Deep River | 1582 | 7.8 | 1.9 | very close |
| Behr | Black Swan | 710F-7 | 7.2 | 1.6 | very close |
| Valspar | Dark Oasis | 6011-4 | 8 | 2.0 | very close |
Lighter and darker in PPG Paints
The PPG Paints gray colors nearest to Licorice (LRV 8) by LRV.
Lighter than Licorice
Darker than Licorice
Color data
| Brand | PPG Paints |
|---|---|
| Color code | 1009-7 |
| Hex | #4E4F48 |
| RGB | 78, 79, 72 |
| HSL | 69°, 5%, 30% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 8 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 33.3, -1.9, 4.0 |
| Undertone | Neutral |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Licorice (PPG 1009-7), published as #4E4F48
#3F4647
#5D5848
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from PPG Paints
More from PPG Paints
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Licorice (PPG 1009-7)?
- Licorice has an LRV of 8. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Licorice is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Licorice in another brand?
- Black Swan (Behr 710F-7) from Behr, at a deltaE of 1.6 (very close).
- Is Licorice warm or cool?
- PPG Paints lists Licorice as neutral, with a Neutral undertone. Its Lab b* value is 4.0; 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.