Pitch Black vs Black Bean
Where Pitch Black belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Black Bean is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (5 vs 4), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. Pitch Black runs neutral while Black Bean is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 5.8 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pitch Black vs Black Bean in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Pitch Black and Black Bean 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. Black Bean brings more warmth to the space, while Pitch Black keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Pitch Black vs Black Bean Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pitch Black on one side and Black Bean 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 Pitch Black comparisons
See how Pitch Black stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
