Paint colors · Benjamin Moore, as published by the brand

Essex Green HC-188: hex #27362E, LRV and undertone

Essex Green (HC-188) is a Benjamin Moore Historical Colors paint at #27362E with an LRV of 5.64. It measures as a cool-leaning neutral with a blue-green undertone.

By Paul Gunder. Every value is computed from published standards; see how ColorPlum works.

Updated November 11, 2026

Benjamin MooreEssex GreenHC-188

Hex: #27362E
RGB: 39, 54, 46
LRV: 5.64
Undertone: Cool-leaning neutral, blue-green undertone

LRV 5.64. Very dark: close to black on the wall; use where you want drama or contrast.

A neutral with a blue-green cast (OKLCH hue 161°, chroma 0.024). Expect the blue-green to show more in warm evening light and next to cooler whites.

Coordinating colors Benjamin Moore suggests

Powell BuffHC-35
Monterey WhiteHC-27
Simply WhiteOC-117
OvercastOC-43

Closest colors from other brands

ΔE is the CIEDE2000 difference between the published values: under 2 is hard to tell apart on a wall, 2 to 5 is a visible but related shade. Always compare real chips before you buy.

Name, code, LRV and color value as published by Benjamin Moore on its color page (checked 2026-11-11). A screen can only approximate paint: sheen, lighting and the screen itself all change it, so check a physical sample. ColorPlum is not affiliated with Benjamin Moore.

ColorPlum swatchEssex Greendark, grayish green

HEX: #27362E
RGB: rgb(39, 54, 46)
HSL: hsl(148, 16%, 18%)

Best text on it: white at 12.70:1

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Essex Green#27362E

Every code for Essex Green

HEX#27362E
RGBrgb(39, 54, 46)
HSLhsl(148, 16%, 18%)
HSV148°, 28%, 21%
CMYK28%, 0%, 15%, 79%
Lablab(21.1% -8 2.9)
OKLCHoklch(31.7% 0.024 161.3)
Decimal2569774

Tints, shades and tones

From white to black in 10% steps, with Essex Green in the middle. Tap a code to copy it.

90%#E9EBEA
80%#D4D7D5
70%#BEC3C0
60%#A9AFAB
50%#939B97
40%#7D8682
30%#68726D
20%#525E58
10%#3D4A43
Base#27362E
10%#233129
20%#1F2B25
30%#1B2620
40%#17201C
50%#141B17
60%#101612
70%#0C100E
80%#080B09
90%#040505

Tones (mixed with gray)

10%#303D36
20%#39453E
30%#424C47
40%#4B544F
50%#545B57
60%#5C625F
70%#656A67
80%#6E7170
90%#777978

Matching colors

Complementary

#27362E
#36272F

Analogous

#283627
#27362E
#273636

Triadic

#27362E
#2E2736
#362E27

Split complementary

#27362E
#362736
#362728

Tetradic (square)

#27362E
#272836
#36272F
#363627

Monochromatic

#090C0A
#090C0A
#27362E
#476254
#678F7A

Essex Green in 3D color space

OKLab, the space ColorPlum does its math in: lightness runs up the pole, hue goes around it and saturation grows outward. The faint shell is every color a screen can show (saturation is drawn wider than lightness so hues separate). Drag to turn it.

Essex Green with its complement, its triad and its tint and shade

Essex Green
Triad #2E2736
Triad #362E27
Complement
50% tint
50% shade

Essex Green in use

New collectionAutumn edit

Card body text stays dark for reading; essex green carries the header and the button.

Shop nowTag

Headline in Essex Green

A paragraph with a link set in this color, which is dark enough for text on white.

How it looks with color-vision deficiency

A simulation (Machado and colleagues, 2009) of how the color and its complement read without one type of cone.

Typical color vision#27362E
Protanopia (no red cones)#36342E
Deuteranopia (no green cones)#33322E
Tritanopia (no blue cones)#243634

Contrast and readability

Pairing	Ratio	WCAG 2.2
as text on white	12.70:1	AA AA large AAA
as text on black	1.65:1	AA AA large AAA
white text on it	12.70:1	AA AA large AAA
black text on it	1.65:1	AA AA large AAA
on your background	11.08:1	AA AA large AAA

Try a background

Export

:root {
  --essex-green: #27362e;
  --essex-green-rgb: 39 54 46;
  --essex-green-on: #ffffff;
}

On this page

Essex Green is HC-188 in the Historical Colors collection from Benjamin Moore. Its hex is #27362E, its RGB is 39, 54, 46, and its LRV is 5.64, a very dark value that sits close to black on a wall.

What the numbers say

HSL is hsl(148, 16%, 18%) and OKLCH is oklch(31.7% 0.024 161.3). At that lightness, the color reads as a deep, shadowy green with only a small amount of chroma. The undertone label is cool-leaning neutral with a blue-green cast, which suggests the green is subdued, not leafy.

Dark colors tend to look different by the hour. The blue-green cast comes forward under lamps at night and against bluer whites, so judge it in the room at the time of day you use it.

Coordinating colors

Benjamin Moore lists Powell Buff (HC-35), Monterey White (HC-27), Simply White (OC-117) and Overcast (OC-43). Simply White has a page here, and its contrast with Essex Green is 11.68:1. The other three appear as name and code.

Nearby colors

In the same brand, Raccoon Fur 2126-20 is 11.8 away, Hale Navy HC-154 is 14.4 and Vermont Slate 1673 is 18.3. All three are clearly different.

Sherwin-Williams also lacks a close twin: Tricorn Black SW 6258 is 10.1, Iron Ore SW 7069 is 10.5 and Naval SW 6244 is 13.6. With every figure above 5, the usual advice about comparing real samples matters even more here, because nothing else looks like it.

Worked example

A study with built-in shelves and one window facing south is a classic place for a deep color. Paint the shelving and the surrounding wall in Essex Green so books and objects pop against the dark surface. At LRV 5.64, the walls will absorb most of the daylight, so plan on layered lamps rather than a single overhead fixture.

For the ceiling and crown, Simply White gives an 11.68:1 contrast, a sharp edge that outlines the room. If that feels too stark, Monterey White or Overcast are other pairings the brand names, though you would need samples to see how they behave. If you are weighing Essex Green against Hale Navy, the 14.4 gap says they are clearly different colors, so decide on the hue you want and sample both.

On screen

White text on #27362E reaches 12.70:1, which is excellent for headings and paragraphs. Black text is only 1.65:1 and should not be used. Check other combinations in the contrast grid.