Black Tar vs Thunder
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Hue-wise, Black Tar belongs to the grey family and Thunder to the greige-grey family. Thunder (LRV 48) reflects noticeably more light than Black Tar (LRV 6), a difference of 42 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Black Tar runs blue while Thunder is decidedly red, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 51.5, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Tar vs Thunder in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Black Tar and Thunder in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Thunder will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black Tar would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Thunder reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Tar.
Color Details
Black Tar vs Thunder Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Tar on one side and Thunder 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.