NEUTRALS

Dark Kettle Black

#3F4043

RGB 63, 64, 67 · HSL 225°, 3%, 25% · CMYK 6, 4, 0, 74

Dark Kettle Black is #3F4043 in HEX — rgb(63, 64, 67), hsl(225°, 3%, 25%), cmyk(6%, 4%, 0%, 74%).

Dark Kettle Black pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 225°, 3%, 25%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on main walls, trims, ceilings — versatile across nearly any style. Reads best alongside soft whites, natural wood, matte black trim, linen.

Color Codes

HEX#3F4043

RGB63, 64, 67

HSL225°, 3%, 25%

HSV225°, 6%, 26%

CMYK6, 4, 0, 74

Decimal4145219

CSS RGBrgb(63, 64, 67)

CSS HSLhsl(225, 3%, 25%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Valspar

Dark Kettle Black 4011-2

Exact match

Behr

Totally Black HDC-MD-04

ΔE 0.8 · #3E3F41

Dunn-Edwards

Dark Engine DE6350

ΔE 0.8 · #3E3F41

Benjamin Moore

Black 2125-10

ΔE 1.4 · #3E4041

Dulux

Domino SG6G8

ΔE 1.7 · #3C3E3F

PPG

Black Magic 1001-7

ΔE 2.1 · #414040

Vista Paint

Sayward Pine C-1417

ΔE 2.4 · #3A3C3D

Kilz

True Black RM260A

ΔE 2.4 · #3D3D3D

Farrow & Ball

Off-Black 57

ΔE 2.5 · #444546

Hallman-Lindsay

Dark River 494

ΔE 2.8 · #3E4445

Sherwin-Williams

Darkroom SW7083

ΔE 3.2 · #443E40

Colorhouse

Metal .06 Metal-06

ΔE 3.6 · #3F4647

RAL

Grey Brown 8019

ΔE 4.3 · #403A3A

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 4.5 · #383737

IKEA

IKEA152 152

ΔE 6.5 · #494F50

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 10.1 · #575757

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

5/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneBlue UndertoneViolet

A near-neutral with a subtle neutral violet undertone — it will pick up colour from surrounding surfaces and shift noticeably under different light.

Color Theory

Complementary

#3F4043

#42413E

Analogous

#3E4142

#3F4043

#3F3E42

Triadic

#3F4043

#423E3F

#3F423E

Split-Complementary

#3F4043

#423F3E

#41423E

Tetradic

#3F4043

#423E41

#42413E

#3E423F

Monochromatic

#0C0D0D

#19191A

#3F4043

#636469

#898B90

Rectangle

#3F4043

#413E42

#42413E

#3F423E

Compound

#3F4043

#3F3E42

#42413E

#41423E

Variations

Lighter

#636469

#898B8F

#BBBBBD

Darker

#313235

#222224

#141415

Saturation

#3F3F40

#3E3F42

#1F2F61

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens

Best Uses

main walls, trim, accents

Pairs With

soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

10.37:1

AAA

vs Black

2.03:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#3F4043

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#3F4043

#404043

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#3F4043

#3F4040

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Dark Kettle Black gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm

PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless

versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall

How it looks under different light

#6F5D4D

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#3F4043

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#5C6272

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EAEBEB

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#443D29

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Regal Select Interior

Recommended Finishes

Eggshell (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Matte (ceiling)

Eggshell hides imperfections on main walls while keeping the color rich; pearl on trim adds subtle sheen and easier cleaning; flat matte on ceilings prevents glare.

Best Surfaces

Primary walls · Cabinetry · Doors · Mouldings

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Standard primer is adequate.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #3F4043;

CSS — background

background-color: #3F4043;

CSS Variable

--color-dark-kettle-black: #3F4043;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'dark-kettle-black': '#3F4043' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#3F4043] text-[#3F4043]

SCSS

$dark-kettle-black: #3F4043;

Similar Colors

Black Panther

#3D3F40 · ΔE 1.5

Black Jack

#3D3D3E · ΔE 1.9

Black Iron

#3A3C3E · ΔE 2.1

Black Berry

#3A3B3F · ΔE 2.3

Notre Dame

#404343 · ΔE 2.4

Toucan Black

#3C3B40 · ΔE 2.5

Plum Martini

#403C3F · ΔE 2.6

Graphite

#444647 · ΔE 2.8

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #3F4043?

#3F4043 is Dark Kettle Black, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #3F4043 warm or cool?

Dark Kettle Black reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Dark Kettle Black?

Dark Kettle Black works well in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens. Designers typically use it for main walls, trim, accents.

What colors pair well with Dark Kettle Black?

Dark Kettle Black pairs naturally with soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Dark Kettle Black?

You can download Dark Kettle Black on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Dark Kettle Black?

The hex code is #3F4043. In RGB it's 63, 64, 67, and in HSL it's 225°, 3%, 25%.

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