Clove is a deep espresso brown that reads almost black on the wall, revealing its warmth only in direct light. It feels luxurious and cocooning. It was part of Sherwin-Williams' 2025 Color Capsule of the Year and suits cabinets, libraries and exteriors.
Paint color names and codes are trademarks of their respective owners (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Behr); this site is not affiliated with them. The hex value is a digital approximation: the real paint looks different depending on light, sheen and your screen, so always test a physical sample on your wall before you buy.
Undertone: Near-black brown with a warm undertone.
LRV 5: Clove is a very dark color that absorbs most of the light.
Where to use it: Office, kitchen, exterior, dining room.
Trim: Clove pairs well with Alabaster SW 7008 for trim, doors and ceilings.
Sherwin-Williams colors that work with Clove on walls, trim and accents.
The closest matches to Clove from Benjamin Moore and Behr, by digital color value. ΔE measures the visible difference: under 2 is barely noticeable.
From lightest to darkest. Tap a shade to copy its code.
Copy the codes or open a palette in the editor to tweak it.
The digital hex value for Sherwin-Williams Clove (SW 9605) is #453E39, which is rgb(69, 62, 57). Use it for mockups and digital design; a physical sample is the only reliable way to judge the paint itself.
Sherwin-Williams Clove has an LRV (light reflectance value) of 5. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white), so Clove is a very dark color that absorbs most of the light.
Clove has a near-black brown with a warm undertone undertone. By its digital value it sits on a fairly neutral middle, but north-facing light will cool it down and warm bulbs will warm it up, so test a sample in the room where you plan to use it.
The closest Benjamin Moore color to Sherwin-Williams Clove is Black Beauty (2128-10, #393736), which is very close by digital value (ΔE 5.0). Paint formulas differ, so color-matched versions are never exact: compare physical samples side by side.
The closest Behr color to Sherwin-Williams Clove is Blackout (N510-7, #413F3E), which is very close by digital value (ΔE 3.5). Paint formulas differ, so color-matched versions are never exact: compare physical samples side by side.