Bancha vs Black blue
Where Bancha belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Black blue is a RAL Classic color. Bancha reads as beige-greige, while Black blue reads as blue — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Bancha (LRV 13) reflects noticeably more light than Black blue (LRV 5), a difference of 9 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 43.0, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Bancha vs Black blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Bancha and Black blue 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. Bancha reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black blue.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Bancha will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Black blue would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Bancha reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Black blue.
Color Details
Bancha vs Black blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Bancha on one side and Black blue 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 Bancha comparisons
See how Bancha stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
