Farrow and Ball Tar CC1
| Code: | CC1 |
| Name: | Tar |
| Brand: | Farrow and Ball |
| Collections: | California Collection |
What color is Farrow and Ball Tar?
Farrow and Ball's CC1 Tar is a sophisticated and timeless dark grey hue that adds depth and drama to any space. This rich color pairs beautifully with crisp whites to create a striking contrast, or with soft pastels for a more subtle and elegant look. CC1 Tar also complements natural materials such as wood, leather, and metal, adding a touch of warmth and sophistication to the decor. Whether used on walls, cabinetry, or furniture, this versatile color is sure to create a stunning and sophisticated ambiance in any room.
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 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.







Try before you buy

100% accurate
reusable paint samples
Peel, stick,
and repeat
Twice painted
with real paint
Next day
delivery
What are Farrow and Ball Tar undertones?
Tar has 0% saturation, so it’s a true neutral (gray). Neutrals don’t have a clear hue-based undertone, because there’s no hue to extract.
HEX value:
#535353
RGB code:
83, 83, 83
Is Farrow and Ball Tar CC1 cool or warm?
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.
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 (Kelvins).
Use the slider to see how this black shade looks under different lighting:


4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Farrow and Ball 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 Selvedge and Dix Blue.
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 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. To copy the code, just click the icon to the right of it.
| 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, 33) | |
| 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 |
Color equivalents
00NN 13/000
Night Jewels 2
Dulux

90BG 11/016
Cannon Ball
Dulux

Y500
Wrought iron
Tikkurila

305
Hopper Head
Farrow and Ball

20YY 11/017
Raisin Cake
Dulux

30BB 10/019
Noble Grey
Dulux
RAL 7043
Traffic grey B
RAL Classic

Javelin
Dulux
227
Scree
Little Greene

RAL 7015
Slate grey
RAL Classic

324
Vulcan
Little Greene

X499
Licorice
Tikkurila

9938
Blackened Black
Jotun

42BB 09/032
Basically Black
Dulux

Pure Cocoa
Dulux
RAL 7011
Iron grey
RAL Classic

RAL 7012
Basalt grey
RAL Classic

