What are Valspar Dark Chocolate undertones?
Dark Chocolate has a clear red undertone based on its position in the color space. We identify undertones by isolating the pure hue (separating it from lightness and saturation), which avoids distortions caused by tints, tones, and shades.
This method is generally more reliable than judging undertones on a white background.
HEX value:
#493D34
RGB code:
73, 61, 52
Is Valspar Dark Chocolate M257 cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 26°, this dark red reads warm on the HSL color wheel.
M257 Dark Chocolate HSL code: 26, 17%, 25%
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 Dark Chocolate
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 dark red shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Valspar Dark Chocolate:
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
M257
Dark Chocolate
Darker shades
M257
Dark Chocolate
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 Dark Chocolate with a red hue, complementary colors are those with a green hue close to 206, such as Valspar Moroccan Moderne and Highlights.
LRV of Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate has an LRV of 5.02% 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 5.02%, 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 | #493d34 |  |
| RGB Decimal | 73, 61, 52 | |
| RGB Percent | 28.63%, 23.92%, 20.39% | |
| HSV | Hue: 26° Saturation: 28.77% Value: 28.63% | |
| HSL | hsl(26, 17, 25) | |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 16.44 Yellow: 28.77 Key: 71.37 | |
| YIQ | Y: 63.562 I: 10.043 Q: -0.262 | |
| XYZ | X: 5.036 Y: 5.002 Z: 3.948 | |
| CIE Lab | L:26.741 a:3.572 b:7.494 | |
| CIE Luv | L:26.741 u:7.417 v:7.463 | |
| Decimal | 4799796 | |
| Hunter Lab | 22.365, 1.055, 5.189 | |
Valspar M257 Dark Chocolate
Copy color code
Color equivalents
6010-2
Deep Earth
Valspar
6011-2
Burnt Tile
Valspar
SW 9183
Dark Clove
Sherwin Williams
8005-6G
Gondola
Valspar
M107
Rootstock
Valspar
10YY 06/100
Rich Praline 1
Dulux
SW 9580
Cracked Pepper
Sherwin Williams
2115-10
Appalachian Brown
Benjamin Moore
2114-10
Bittersweet Chocolate
Benjamin Moore
CSP-240
Brownstone
Benjamin Moore
06YY 08/048
Dipped Chocolate
Dulux
320
Elysian Ground
Little Greene
Intense Chestnut
Dulux
3010-10
Swiss Chocolate
Valspar
2112-10
Mink
Benjamin Moore
2134-10
Night Horizon
Benjamin Moore
2116-10
Night Shade
Benjamin Moore
SW 9605
Clove
Sherwin Williams
