Caviar

SW 6990 · Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams

Caviar

SW 6990

Hex code

#313031

Light reflectance value (LRV)

3Very dark, close to black on a wall

0 black100 white

Undertone

None (a true neutral), a true neutral

Color family: Neutral
Sold for: Interior and exterior

Try it on your walls Get a sample

Sherwin-Williams Caviar SW 6990 is a true black that reflects almost nothing, with an LRV of 3, the same as Tricorn Black SW 6258 and Black Magic SW 6991 once rounded. On a wall the three cannot be told apart. It measures as a neutral with no lean the eye can find. The question with Caviar is never what color it is but how much of it to use: a front door, window frames, cabinets in a bright kitchen, or one wall.

Updated September 2, 2026

Is Caviar warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers

too close to gray to lean

Undertone

None (a true neutral)

graysaturated

A true neutral, no lean at all.

Caviar measures as a true neutral. The trace of color in it sits in the violet range, identical to Black Magic SW 6991 and a hair more than Tricorn Black SW 6258. None of it can be seen on a wall. Black has no undertone to show; it shows the room instead. Beside a warm white and oak, Caviar reads a shade cool; beside a blue-white it reads a shade warm; beside brass it looks softer than beside chrome. The difference from Iron Ore SW 7069 is depth, not lean: Iron Ore reflects nearly twice as much light and reads as charcoal, Caviar reads as black. Domino SW 6989 is the nearest black outside its strip, a touch lighter; Inkwell SW 6992 on the strip is where blue begins to show.

Caviar in north, south, east and west light

A black has no undertone to shift, so Caviar looks the same color from every window; the exposure changes how much of the surface you can read. In a north-facing room it becomes one flat plane and swallows the profile of doors and panels. Use a north room for trim and frames rather than walls, or give the walls a lamp that rakes across them. South and west light reveal texture, dust and roller marks, which argues for matte on walls and semi-gloss on doors. East light is the kindest. Warm 2700K lamps are the usual choice, since a black room under cool bulbs feels like a garage.

Watch for

In a north room the walls flatten to one plane and the trim profile disappears.
Raking sun shows every roller mark and touch-up on a matte black wall.
By noon on a sunny elevation it is a very dark charcoal, and by evening it is black again.

Best rooms and surfaces for Caviar

Caviar belongs on the parts of a room that should read as a drawn line: interior doors, window frames, a stair rail, a range hood, the legs of an island, a vanity. Against a warm white like Snowbound SW 7004 those lines make a room look finished. As a wall color it suits a dining room, a powder room or a bedroom with strong daylight and good lamps, where black reads as depth. A whole floor of it or a windowless bathroom reads as a void and shows every fingerprint. Cabinets work in a big kitchen with a wide window and a pale counter, and swallow a small one. White oak, pale maple, marble, white quartz, brass and chrome all sit well with it, and so does any wood tone, since nothing in it clashes.

Caviar on an exterior

Caviar is rated for exterior use. On a house it reads as a very dark charcoal in full sun and as black in shade and by evening, the same behavior as Tricorn Black SW 6258. It suits a modern house with a standing-seam roof and Extra White SW 7006 trim, and as a door, shutter or window-frame color it works against nearly any siding. Dark paint absorbs heat, so ask whether vinyl or fiber-cement siding is rated for black before painting a whole elevation. Iron Ore SW 7069 is the softer choice where a black body color feels too severe.

Try Caviar on your own walls

Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Caviar onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.

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Caviar vs Tricorn Black, Black Magic and Iron Ore

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black SW 6258, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Caviar vs Tricorn Black SW 6258

Caviar is a touch lighter; both have a none (a true neutral) undertone.

Tricorn Black SW 6258 is the neighbor one step darker on the same strip, and the two measure as near-identical neutrals at an LRV of 3. No wall, door or house will show the difference. The practical gap is name recognition: Tricorn Black is the black most painters and showrooms already know. Choose Caviar if you have its chip in hand or want the same coordinating white, Snowbound SW 7004; the result is the same either way.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Black Magic SW 6991, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Caviar vs Black Magic SW 6991

Caviar is a touch darker; both have a none (a true neutral) undertone.

Black Magic SW 6991 is the step lighter on the strip, a tenth of a point by LRV and the closest match to Caviar on the whole fan deck. Both are true neutrals with the same trace of violet, and they share Snowbound SW 7004 as their coordinating white. There is no room in which one reads differently from the other. Pick by the chip you already have, or by the sample you can get fastest.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore SW 7069, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Caviar vs Iron Ore SW 7069

Caviar is a touch darker; both have a none (a true neutral) undertone.

Iron Ore SW 7069 is the lightest color on the strip and reflects nearly twice the light of Caviar, an LRV of 6 against 3. It reads as charcoal where Caviar reads black. Both are neutral. Pick Iron Ore for siding, cabinets and four walls, where a little gray keeps the surface alive. Pick Caviar for the black that should look black: a door, frames, a hood, one wall in a bright room.

Questions about Caviar

Is Caviar a true black?

Yes. Caviar measures as a neutral with no lean the eye can find, at an LRV of 3, which is as dark as wall paint gets. The trace of violet in its numbers is the same as in Black Magic SW 6991 and never shows. It looks black from every window. Any warmth or coolness you see is reflected from the trim, the floor or the bulbs.

What colors go with Caviar?

Snowbound SW 7004 is the Sherwin-Williams trim and ceiling white for Caviar; its accents are Taupe Tone SW 7633, a warm taupe, and Oh Pistachio SW 9033, a pale green. Because a black has no undertone, any white and any wood work with it, and white oak, marble and brass are the usual companions. A pale gray on the surrounding walls, Passive SW 7064 for example, keeps an open plan from feeling heavy.

Is Caviar good for a front door?

Yes. On a front door Caviar gives a clean black that shows no undertone against any siding color, and it is rated for exterior use. In midday sun the door reads very dark charcoal and by evening it is black again. Semi-gloss gives the deepest black and wipes clean; brass, black and nickel hardware all suit it.

Is Caviar a good cabinet color?

In the right kitchen. Caviar cabinets need a wide window, a pale counter and light walls, or they turn the room into a box. In a big, bright kitchen they read as sharp and finished. Lower cabinets or an island in Caviar with white uppers is the easier version. Use a satin or semi-gloss so fingerprints wipe off, since black shows them more than any lighter color.

What is one shade lighter than Caviar?

Black Magic SW 6991 is one step lighter on the fan-deck strip and Tricorn Black SW 6258 one step darker, and neither step can be seen on a wall. Greenblack SW 6994 is the first step up that shows at all, and Iron Ore SW 7069 at the strip's end is the first that reads charcoal. Among its closest matches outside the strip, Domino SW 6989 is a touch lighter.

Get a sample before you paint

Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Caviar, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.