Black Ink vs Black Tar
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Black Ink reads as blue-grey, while Black Tar reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (6 vs 6), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. Both lean blue, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. At ΔE 1.6, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Ink vs Black Tar in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Black Ink and Black Tar are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Black Ink vs Black Tar Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Ink on one side and Black Tar on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Black Ink comparisons
See how Black Ink stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
