Black Tar vs RAL 790-3
Where Black Tar belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, RAL 790-3 is a RAL Effect color. Black Tar reads as grey, while RAL 790-3 reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (6 vs 4), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 2.8, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Black Tar vs RAL 790-3 in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Black Tar and RAL 790-3 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.
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 Tar vs RAL 790-3 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Black Tar on one side and RAL 790-3 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.
