Black Tar vs Briarwood
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Black Tar reads as grey, while Briarwood reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Briarwood (LRV 32) reflects noticeably more light than Black Tar (LRV 6), a difference of 26 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Black Tar runs blue while Briarwood is decidedly red, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 40.4, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Tar vs Briarwood in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Black Tar and Briarwood in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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. Briarwood reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Tar.
Color Details
Black Tar vs Briarwood Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Tar on one side and Briarwood 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 Tar comparisons
See how Black Tar stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
