Peppercorn
SW 7674 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Peppercorn
SW 7674
None (a true neutral), a true neutral
- Color family
- Neutral
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn SW 7674 is a deep charcoal gray with no measurable undertone, a true neutral. It has an LRV of 10, dark enough to read almost black across a wall yet with enough gray left to show as charcoal in daylight. That margin is what separates it from Iron Ore SW 7069, which sits a step closer to black. People use it on exteriors, kitchen cabinets, front doors and accent walls, and as the softer choice where a real black would feel heavy.
Updated
Is Peppercorn warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
too close to gray to lean
Undertone
None (a true neutral)
A true neutral, no lean at all.
Peppercorn measures as a true neutral: equal red, green and blue, with nothing left over to lean warm or cool. On a wall that means the surroundings decide its temperature. Beside a warm white or an oak floor it reads slightly steely; beside cool tile or a blue-white it looks a shade warmer and browner. Tricorn Black SW 6258 is the same neutrality taken to black, and Iron Ore SW 7069 sits between the two, also neutral and a step darker. Urbane Bronze SW 7048 is the one that differs in kind: it carries a subtle yellow-brown, so next to Peppercorn it looks brown and Peppercorn looks gray. Forged Steel SW 9565 is its closest twin, a hair lighter and hard to tell apart.
Peppercorn in north, south, east and west light
Peppercorn moves less with the compass than most colors because it has no undertone to shift. A north-facing room simply takes it darker and a little steelier, and in a small north room with a single window the gray closes up toward black by mid-afternoon. South and west exposures lift it to a clear charcoal, with west rooms showing the most gray at sunset. East rooms barely change it through the day. Under bulbs it follows the lamp: 2700K nudges it toward brown-gray, 4000K turns it cold and bluish, and 3000K keeps it the neutral gray on the chip.
Watch for
- In a small north room with one window it stops reading charcoal and turns flat black by afternoon.
- Cool white bulbs around 4000K give it a blue cast that is not in the paint.
- Against an orange-toned oak floor it can look steely and cold; a warm trim white such as Alabaster SW 7008 eases the pairing.
Best rooms and surfaces for Peppercorn
Peppercorn is the charcoal for people who find black too hard. On kitchen cabinets and an island it reads as a soft dark gray that still shows the profile of a shaker door in daylight. It takes brass, black or nickel pulls without complaint. As a wall color it suits a bedroom, a dining room or a home office where the goal is an enclosed, quiet room. Keep the ceiling white and the bedding or rug light so the walls stay a backdrop. A powder room or a bathroom with a window works, while a windowless bathroom under cool lights turns it flat and cold. Interior doors and a fireplace wall are its easiest wins. It sits well with white oak, walnut, marble and white quartz; with dark floors and dark furniture it can turn a room into one dark mass.
Peppercorn on an exterior
Peppercorn is in the Sherwin-Williams Top Exterior Colors collection, and on siding it is the answer for a house that should read dark gray rather than black. Full sun lightens it to a clear medium-dark gray, so a whole house in it looks charcoal by day and near-black at dusk. A shaded north wall stays close to the chip. Nebulous White SW 7063 trim keeps the contrast soft and Extra White SW 7006 makes it crisp. On a lighter house it gives a front door or shutters that read gray, not black, which is the reason to choose it there over Tricorn Black SW 6258.
Try Peppercorn on your own walls
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Peppercorn vs Iron Ore, Urbane Bronze, Tricorn Black and Black Fox
Iron OrePeppercornPeppercorn vs Iron Ore SW 7069
Peppercorn is noticeably lighter; both have a none (a true neutral) undertone.
Iron Ore SW 7069 is the darker of the two, an LRV of 6 against Peppercorn's 10, and both measure as true neutrals. On a wall the gap is a soft black against a charcoal: Iron Ore closes toward black in ordinary room light where Peppercorn still shows gray. Pick Iron Ore when the room or the house should read black in most light. Pick Peppercorn for a dark that stays visibly gray, or for a north-facing room where Iron Ore would go flat.
Urbane BronzePeppercornPeppercorn vs Urbane Bronze SW 7048
Peppercorn is a touch lighter; undertone none (a true neutral) vs subtle yellow-brown.
Urbane Bronze SW 7048 sits a touch darker and carries a subtle yellow-brown lean where Peppercorn has none. Side by side the difference is warmth: Urbane Bronze looks brown-gray, Peppercorn looks plain gray. Choose Urbane Bronze for a house with brick, stone or cedar to tie into, or a room built around walnut and brass. Choose Peppercorn when the palette is white, gray and black and the dark should stay neutral.
Tricorn BlackPeppercornPeppercorn vs Tricorn Black SW 6258
Peppercorn is noticeably lighter; both have a none (a true neutral) undertone.
Tricorn Black SW 6258 is a true black at an LRV of 3, reflecting under a third of the light Peppercorn does. Both are neutral, so the difference is entirely depth. Tricorn Black gives a hard edge on doors, window frames and trim. Peppercorn is the wall and cabinet color, dark enough for drama but with enough gray to show the shape of a room. They also work together: Peppercorn walls with a Tricorn Black door is a common pairing.
Black FoxPeppercornPeppercorn vs Black Fox SW 7020
Peppercorn is noticeably lighter; undertone none (a true neutral) vs subtle orange.
Black Fox SW 7020 is a warm near-black with a subtle orange-brown lean, at an LRV of 7 against Peppercorn's 10. Peppercorn looks cooler by comparison, not because it is cool but because it has no warmth at all. Black Fox suits a house or a room with terracotta, warm wood and cream, where a plain charcoal would sit apart. Peppercorn is the one for gray that reads gray beside white trim.
Questions about Peppercorn
Is Peppercorn black or gray?
Gray. Peppercorn is a deep charcoal, and in any room with daylight it shows as dark gray rather than black. The phrase "peppercorn black" comes from how it looks on a small chip or in a dim corner. Tricorn Black SW 6258 is the true black, Iron Ore SW 7069 the step between. If the wall must look black in every light, Peppercorn is a shade too light for that.
What colors go with Peppercorn?
Sherwin-Williams lists Nebulous White SW 7063 for trim and ceilings, with Windfresh White SW 7628 and the soft green Willow Tree SW 7741 as accents. Extra White SW 7006 trim makes the scheme crisper. Beyond paint it takes white oak, walnut, marble and white quartz with brass or black hardware. A light greige such as Agreeable Gray SW 7029 on the surrounding walls keeps an open plan from going dark.
What is one shade lighter than Peppercorn?
Grizzle Gray SW 7068 is the next step up on the fan-deck strip, a dark gray at an LRV of 13 that reads clearly lighter on a wall. Peppercorn is the darkest color on that strip, so the darker steps come from elsewhere: Urbane Bronze SW 7048, then Iron Ore SW 7069. Among its closest matches, Forged Steel SW 9565 is a near twin, a hair lighter.
Is Peppercorn a good cabinet color?
Yes, and cabinets are one of its most common uses. On doors it reads as a soft charcoal that keeps the profile of a shaker frame visible in daylight, where a true black flattens it. Pair it with a light counter and a white or off-white wall so the kitchen keeps its bounce, and use a satin or semi-gloss finish for wiping.
Is Peppercorn good for a front door?
Yes. It is rated for exterior use, and on a door it gives a dark gray that reads softer than black against white, cream or light gray siding. Full sun lightens it to a clear charcoal. If the door should look black from the street, Tricorn Black SW 6258 or Iron Ore SW 7069 is the better pick. A satin or semi-gloss finish suits it.
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 Peppercorn, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
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