Farrow and Ball Tar CC1

Contents

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Farrow and Ball CC1 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)
Farrow and Ball Tar reviews (7 photos)
What are Farrow and Ball Tar undertones?
Is Tar CC1 cool or warm?
How light temperature affects on Tar
Monochromatic color scheme
Complementary color scheme
Color comparison and matching
LRV of Tar CC1
Color codes
Color equivalents

Code:	CC1
Name:	Tar
Brand:	Farrow and Ball
Collections:	California Collection

What color is Farrow and Ball Tar?

Farrow and Ball Tar CC1 is a deep, restrained grey with a charcoal-like presence rather than a true black finish. Its #535353 value places it in a solid mid-to-dark range, giving walls definition without making every surface feel sharply dark. In bright daylight, Tar will read as a clear, even grey; under lower or warmer lighting, its depth becomes more pronounced. It suits studies, dining rooms, hallways, and exterior trim where a grounded neutral is wanted. Pair it with crisp white paint, pale stone, brushed metal, or natural wood to create contrast and keep the scheme from feeling heavy.

Farrow and Ball CC1 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)

Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating warm grey hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.

Farrow and Ball Tar CC1 kitchen cabinets

@village_interiors

Farrow and Ball Tar reviews (7 photos)

View the photos of real spaces painted with this grey that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.

@indainteriors

@ourmidcenturyhomerenovation

@greyvineandco

@brianinoakland

@the.pentlands.home

@ourmidcenturyhomerenovation

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What are Farrow and Ball Tar undertones?

Tar CC1 appears as a deep, low-saturation charcoal gray with a nearly neutral overall character. In the supplied digital sample, there is no strong enough color bias to identify a confident warm or cool undertone; it reads primarily as a balanced dark gray. Because no official manufacturer description was available, there is no stated undertone to compare with the visible color family. Warm artificial light may make this neutral charcoal look slightly softer or warmer by comparison, while cool daylight can make it appear crisper or cooler.

HEX value:

#535353

RGB code:

83, 83, 83

Is Farrow and Ball Tar cool or warm?

warm

cool

With a hue of 0°, this black shade sits right in the neutral zone on the HSL color wheel—neither warm nor cool.

CC1 Tar HSL code: 0, 0%, 33%

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 Tar

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 Farrow and Ball Tar:

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.

Darker shades

CC1
Tar

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 Tar with a red hue, complementary colors are those with a green hue close to 180, such as Farrow and Ball Oval Room Blue and Hazy.

CC1
Tar

Compare
Farrow and Ball
Tar CC1
to any other colors

Farrow and Ball
Tar CC1
color equivalents

LRV of Tar

Tar has an LRV of 8.9% 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 8.9%, 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	#535353
RGB Decimal	83, 83, 83
RGB Percent	32.55%, 32.55%, 32.55%
HSV	Hue: 0° Saturation: 0.0% Value: 32.55%
HSL	hsl(0, 0.0, 32.55)
CMYK	Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 0.0 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 67.45
YIQ	Y: 83.0 I: -0.0 Q: -0.0
XYZ	X: 8.221 Y: 8.65 Z: 9.418
CIE Lab	L:35.302 a:-0.001 b:0.002
CIE Luv	L:35.302 u:-0.0 v:0.003
Decimal	5460819
Hunter Lab	29.411, -1.572, 1.602