Sherwin Williams Black Fox: Paint Color Review -

Is it brown, gray, or black? Let’s find out.

When it comes to darker, moody neutrals, Sherwin Williams Black Fox often flies under the radar. However, it’s one of my favorite deep, meaty shades, and today we’re breaking it down in its color review.

WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS SW BLACK FOX?

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Black Fox is a dark, warm neutral. With a blend of brown, gray, and black, it’s a great way to add drama and contrast to a room or exterior without the harshness of a true black.

WHAT ARE BLACK FOX’S UNDERTONES?

Black Fox is a sneaky one. Because it’s on the same color strip as warm grays like Sherwin Williams Dovetail, Gauntlet Gray, and Dorian Gray, many assume it’s a dark warm gray.

Nope.

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Remember, as colors get lighter and darker (on the color strip), their undertones can shift. As for Black Fox, it leans much browner, making it not a ‘warm gray’ at all. Long story short, Black Fox’s undertones are more gray than they are brown.

Brown is the more dominant (but still reasonably soft) feature of Black Fox. Gray is the soft undertone, calming it down.

It’s easy to see Black Fox’s softness against the black details on this home

Colors like these often waver between green and purple undertones. Of the two, Black Fox leans OH so slightly into green (but don’t worry, it’s not a dominant feature).

WHAT’S BLACK FOX’S LRV?

Black Fox has an LRV of 7. Black colors hover closer to the 2-4 range, so while Sherwin Williams says this is a version of black, it’s not; it’s softer and lighter.

WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM WITH BLACK FOX?

Oh boy, Black Fox is pretty darn flexible, meaning you have a lot of room to move. Here are a few of my favorite whites…

Sherwin Williams Pure White
Sherwin Williams Alabaster
Benjamin Moore White Dove

Sherwin Williams Best White Paint Colors

WHERE DOES BLACK FOX LOOK BEST?

Not every color is meant for every surface. Let’s hit a few main areas and see whether Black Fox makes the cut…

BLACK FOX AS AN EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR

Black Fox is an absolute gem on exteriors. And it ain’t no one-trick point, look at all the places it works…

Exterior trim
Front doors and garage doors
Siding and stucco

BLACK FOX ON CABINETS OR ISLANDS

Welllll, it’s not that you can’t, but be careful, as Black Fox can look a little bit ’90s/early 2000s on cabinets (kind of like espresso wood, but fake). It fares much better on islands, as it makes for a better accent in a kitchen than a full commitment.

BLACK FOX WITH WOOD CABINETS, TRIMS, & FLOORING

A million times, yes. Black Fox looks gorgeous with a wide range of wood stains. While I might not pair it with stronger red wood stains, it handles more moderate wood stains very well. If you’re thinking of using Black Fox as an accent wall, I approve.

WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO BLACK FOX?

This is always my favorite part of these color reviews.

Why?

Comparison is one of the most important parts of your color journey! By comparing similar shades, you’ll see ebbs and flows in undertones, temperature, and depth, helping you find your absolute BEST paint color!

SW BLACK FOX VS. BENJAMIN MOORE WILLOW

As much as I love Black Fox, Willow has my heart. However, just because it has MY heart, doesn’t mean it’s the best color for you and your home. Let’s see how they compare…

Willow is beautiful with this red brick exterior and punchy orange-red front door!

When it comes to depth, Willow has an LRV of 9.07. This makes it a bit lighter than Black Fox’s LRV of 7. However, don’t get too caught up in that, as they’re comparable.

As for their approach to brown, while they’re quite close, Willow’s brown is a bit more balanced, whereas Black Fox’s wee wink o’ green comes up – which you might not have noticed until you COMPARED it to Willow – cool, eh?

Learn more about Willow and other browns in this blog post

Here’s your Peel & Stick of Black Fox…

BLACK FOX VS. URBANE BRONZE

If you’ve followed my blog or Instagram for any amount of time, you know I’ve got a lady-boner for Urbane Bronze.

Urbane Bronze with Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige main cabinets

Urbane Bronze is similar to Black Fox in some respects, but differs in others (in a very important way).

Regarding depth, Urbane Bronze has an LRV of 8, which makes it very similar to Black Fox’s LRV of 7.

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However…Urbane Bronze is a greige, so it doesn’t have the warm, brownish tone of Black Fox. Additionally, it has a more noticeable green undertone. Of the 2, Urbane Bronze is CONSIDERABLY more popular.

BLACK FOX VS. IRON ORE & SEALSKIN

These are great colors to compare with Black Fox, even though they aren’t THAT similar—or certainly not as close as BM Willow.

Iron Ore’s soft black look is obvious on this built-in cabinet

Starting with depth, Iron Ore has an LRV of 6, as does Sealskin. This is only 1 point away from Black Fox, so we’re pretty apples-to-apples. However, this COMBINED with their individual approaches to color sets them apart.

Iron Ore is a soft black with a very minor green undertone
Black Fox is brown with a minor green undertones
Sealskin is a brown with a minor green undertone.

Soooo, aren’t Sealskin and Black Fox pretty similar then? Suuure, in the big paint world, they’re darn close. However, Sealskin is more saturated and warmer than Black Fox. Compare the two, and you’ll see this shift. Between the 3, Iron Ore is by far the most popular.

Sherwin Williams Iron Ore Paint Color Review

WHAT COLORS GO WITH BLACK FOX?

Black Fox goes reasonably well with a range of colors. While it depends on whether you’re pairing colors for an exterior, a kitchen, an accent wall, or otherwise, these should get you started…