Almost Charcoal (Valspar 4008-2B)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Almost Charcoal (Valspar 4008-2B) is a very deep, neutral gray from Valspar: LRV 19, so it reflects about 19 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Almost Charcoal
Four Valspar colors picked for Almost Charcoal by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper gray, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Valspar did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Almost Charcoal, 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 | Before the Storm | SW 9564 | 18 | 1.9 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Steel Wool | 2121-20 | 20.7 | 1.7 | very close |
| Behr | Ocean Swell | PPU25-19 | 19.5 | 2.4 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Volcanic Ash | 1012-6 | 18 | 1.7 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Valspar
The Valspar gray colors nearest to Almost Charcoal (LRV 19) by LRV.
Lighter than Almost Charcoal
Darker than Almost Charcoal
Color data
| Brand | Valspar |
|---|---|
| Color code | 4008-2B |
| Hex | #74797A |
| RGB | 116, 121, 122 |
| HSL | 190°, 3%, 47% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 19 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 50.4, -1.7, -1.2 |
| Undertone | Neutral |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Almost Charcoal (Valspar 4008-2B), published as #74797A
#647078
#85827A
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Valspar
More from Valspar
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Almost Charcoal (Valspar 4008-2B)?
- Almost Charcoal has an LRV of 19. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Almost Charcoal is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Almost Charcoal in another brand?
- Volcanic Ash (PPG 1012-6) from PPG Paints, at a deltaE of 1.7 (very close).
- Is Almost Charcoal warm or cool?
- Valspar lists Almost Charcoal as neutral, with a Neutral undertone. Its Lab b* value is -1.2; 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.