Black Tar vs Purbeck Stone
Where Black Tar belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Purbeck Stone is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Black Tar belongs to the grey family and Purbeck Stone to the greige-grey family. Purbeck Stone (LRV 52) reflects noticeably more light than Black Tar (LRV 6), a difference of 46 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Black Tar runs blue while Purbeck Stone is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 53.7, 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 Purbeck Stone in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Black Tar and Purbeck Stone 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 Purbeck Stone 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. Purbeck Stone reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black Tar.
Color Details
Black Tar vs Purbeck Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Tar on one side and Purbeck Stone 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.
