Black Tar vs Blackened Black
Where Black Tar belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Blackened Black is a Jotun color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (6 vs 7), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. Black Tar runs blue while Blackened Black is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 7.2 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Tar vs Blackened Black in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Black Tar and Blackened Black 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.
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. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Black Tar vs Blackened Black Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Tar on one side and Blackened Black 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.
