BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT COLOR
Benjamin Moore Essex Green HC-188
Essex Green is a green-black, with an undertone that is green, leaning gray-blue. See it at room scale before you buy a tester: try Essex Green on the walls of your own room in the free 3D planner.
Essex Green at a glance
| Brand | Benjamin Moore |
| Color name | Essex Green |
| Code | HC-188 |
| Hex (on screen) | #27362E |
| RGB | 39, 54, 46 |
| Light reflectance (est.) | About 3 |
| Looks like | Green-black |
| Undertone | Green, leaning gray-blue |
| Popularity | The 17th most searched Benjamin Moore color in the planner’s library: about 5,000 searches a month in the US |
The hex value is the planner’s on-screen approximation, not a paint formula, and the light reflectance is estimated from it. Screens, daylight, bulbs and sheen all change how a paint looks, so check a physical sample or tester pot on your wall before you order. The official Benjamin Moore color page has the manufacturer’s own details.
How Essex Green behaves in a room
With an estimated light reflectance of about 3, it absorbs most of the light that reaches it. That makes a room feel enclosed and cosy, which is usually the point; plan lighting for the evening.
Its undertone is warm. Warm colors hold up well in north-facing rooms, where daylight is cooler, and can look richer or more yellow in strong south-facing light.
Where it tends to be used
Deep colors like this are usually used with intent: a feature wall, a study, dining room or snug, front and internal doors, cabinets or woodwork.
Try Essex Green in your room. Draw your room to size or open a furnished kitchen, then paint the walls in 3D. Free, with no sign-up.
Open the planner →Colors that pair with Essex Green
Suggestions from the same Benjamin Moore range in the planner, chosen for contrast or a tonal match. Try them side by side on different walls before deciding.
Closest matches from other brands
The colors from other brands in the planner that look nearest to Essex Green on screen, measured by color difference (ΔE: under 2.5 is hard to tell apart on screen, over 9 is clearly different). Useful if you like the look but want a different brand or price.
Try Essex Green on your own walls in 3D
- Open the planner and draw your room to its real size, or start from a furnished layout such as the living room or bedroom examples.
- Switch to 3D and open the Design panel, then choose Walls.
- Search for “Essex Green” or “HC-188”, or filter by brand. Paint the whole room or select a single wall for a feature wall.
The planner is free with no sign-up. Brand paint colors are premium finishes: you can preview Essex Green in your room for free, and Plus keeps brand colors in your saved plan.
More Benjamin Moore colors
Questions
Is Benjamin Moore Essex Green warm or cool?
On screen it reads as warm: its undertone is green, leaning gray-blue. Check a sample in your own light, as the direction a room faces changes how warm or cool a color looks.
What is the LRV of Essex Green?
Estimated from the on-screen color, its light reflectance value is about 3 on a scale where 0 is black and 100 is pure white. The manufacturer’s published LRV is measured from real paint and may differ slightly.
What is the closest match to Essex Green from another brand?
In the planner’s library, the nearest on screen is Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black (SW 6258). On-screen matches are a starting point only: compare real samples side by side before switching.