Peppercorn vs Kendall Charcoal: Depth, Materials and the Better Fit

Peppercorn and Kendall Charcoal: the documented difference

Peppercorn has an LRV of 10; Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal HC-166 is 14.61. The difference is 4.61 points, with Kendall Charcoal returning more light under the reference measurement. Choose by the material relationship as well as the number. Peppercorn is a deep gray rather than a midtone, even though its manufacturer describes its temperature as balanced. Kendall Charcoal is a deep charcoal gray.

The choice beside pale oak and white plaster

Pale oak and white plaster can outline a dark painted area, but the shape and extent of that area determine its architectural effect.

Set up both candidates with pale oak and white plaster. Use equal-sized boards with the intended finishes and place them in the same orientation. Do not put one directly beside a window and leave the other in shadow. A difference that follows the position rather than the board is a lighting observation, not evidence that the formula changed.

What the comparison can—and cannot—settle

For a second point of reference, Grizzle Gray is recorded at LRV 13. The undertones and neighboring colors covers that related choice.

Check the intended painted area as a shape in the room; keep enough light material to define it. Assess Peppercorn and Kendall Charcoal alone as well as side by side. The unchosen board will not remain in the finished room, and a preference created only by that neighbor may not survive its removal. Before ordering samples, compare room-planning features in the paint color visualizer roundup.