Behr Ink Black N490-7

Contents

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What are Behr Ink Black undertones?
Is Ink Black N490-7 cool or warm?
How light temperature affects on Ink Black
Monochromatic color scheme
Complementary color scheme
Color comparison and matching
LRV of Ink Black N490-7
Color codes
Color equivalents

Code:	N490-7
Name:	Ink Black
Brand:	Behr

What color is Behr Ink Black?

Behr Ink Black N490-7 is a deep charcoal that reads more like softened black than a pure, inky black. Its #45494d value shows a subtle cool gray-blue cast, helping it retain visible definition in well-lit rooms rather than flattening into darkness. On walls, Ink Black can create a grounded backdrop for pale oak, warm white trim, linen textiles, and brushed brass hardware. It is especially effective on cabinetry, interior doors, or a single accent wall where its muted depth can add contrast without the starkness of jet black. In lower light, this shade will appear darker and more graphite-like, while daylight brings out its restrained coolness.

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What are Behr Ink Black undertones?

Ink Black is a deep, near-neutral charcoal gray. Its chroma is so low that assigning a specific hue-based undertone would be misleading. Because it is close to neutral, nearby surfaces and the color of the light can noticeably change how warm or cool it appears.

HEX value:

#45494D

RGB code:

69, 73, 77

Is Behr Ink Black cool or warm?

warm

cool

With a hue of 210°, this black leans cool, but it is near the neutral line and may feel warmer in certain lighting.

N490-7 Ink Black HSL code: 210, 5%, 29%

Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.

How light temperature affects Ink Black

Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.

Sunrise

Morning

Noon

Afternoon

Sunset

In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:

Direction of sunlight	Visible temp.	Hue	Duration
North	Cool	Bluish	All day
East	Warm	Yellow	Before noon
West	Warm	Orange-red	After noon
South	Warm	Orange-yellow	All day

Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this black shade looks under different lighting:

4000K

2000K

3000K

4000K

5000K

6000K

7000K

Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr Ink Black:

Monochromatic color scheme

This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.

Lighter shades

N490-7
Ink Black

Darker shades

N490-7
Ink Black

Complementary color scheme

This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color Ink Black with a blue hue, complementary colors are those with a orange hue close to 30, such as Behr Oak Creek and Chicago Fog.

N490-7
Ink Black

Compare
Behr
Ink Black N490-7
to any other colors

Behr
Ink Black N490-7
color equivalents

LRV of Ink Black

Ink Black has an LRV of 6.93% and refers to Dark colors which means that this color almost does not reflect light. Why LRV is important?

Light Reflectance Value scale illustration

Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).

Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 6.93%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft² living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.

Color codes

We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models

Format	Code
HEX	#45494d
RGB Decimal	69, 73, 77
RGB Percent	27.06%, 28.63%, 30.20%
HSV	Hue: 210° Saturation: 10.39% Value: 30.2%
HSL	hsl(210, 5, 29)
CMYK	Cyan: 10.39 Magenta: 5.19 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 69.8
YIQ	Y: 72.26 I: -3.669 Q: 0.399
XYZ	X: 6.176 Y: 6.566 Z: 7.961
CIE Lab	L:30.798 a:-0.701 b:-2.945
CIE Luv	L:30.798 u:-2.269 v:-3.458
Decimal	4540749
Hunter Lab	25.624, -1.821, -0.484