Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron vs Cheating Heart

Looking for the perfect soft black or deep charcoal paint color for your home? Let’s compare Wrought Iron vs Cheating Heart to see if one might be perfect for your space!

If you’re after a rich, bold paint color that’s not quite pitch black, consider the charm of a soft black or deep charcoal!

These paint colors offer the same bold elegance as black but with a softer, warmer feel.

Soft blacks and deep charcoals blend seamlessly with various decor styles, colors, and finishes, whether used to cover entire walls or as accent features like around a fireplace.

Just remember, these nuanced colors can shift in different lighting, appearing as black, gray, or even navy, so it’s worth paying attention to the details!

Today, I want to compare two popular shades of soft black / charcoal paint – Wrought Iron and Cheating Heart.

Let’s talk about the difference between these two popular shades.

Read my full review of Wrought Iron

Read my full review of Cheating Heart

Wrought Iron vs Cheating Heart

Wrought Iron and Cheating Heart are similar paint colors that straddle the line between soft black and deep charcoal.

They have similar LRVs and undertones, but the two have some subtle differences.

What is similar about Wrought Iron vs Cheating Heart?

Cheating Heart and Wrought Iron are very similar paint colors. They often appear as deep charcoals or soft blacks.

In well-lit south-facing rooms, they typically appear as deep charcoal shades.

In north-facing rooms without much natural light or interior rooms such as a bathroom, both tend to look more like solid black tones.

Their Light Reflectance Value (LRV) numbers are similar, meaning they reflect a similar amount of light.

Both colors look great for a home exterior, doors, shutters, cabinets, a fireplace, or built-ins.

What is different about Wrought Iron vs Cheating Heart?

Benjamin Moore refers to Cheating Heart as charcoal and Wrought Iron as black, though these descriptions can interchange depending on the lighting conditions.

Cheating Heart is slightly lighter than Wrought Iron, with LRVs of 8.79 and 8.17, respectively.

Wrought Iron has soft blue, gray, and brown undertones, often appearing as a muted or true black depending on lighting.

Cheating Heart, on the other hand, is a deep charcoal with cool blue undertones, giving it a range of appearances from gray to navy or black.

The biggest difference between the two is that Wrought Iron is grayer, and Cheating Heart has a bluer hue.

	Wrought Iron	Cheating Heart
LRV	8.17	8.79
RBG	R: 74 G: 75 B: 76	R: 75 G: 77 B: 79
Undertones	soft blue, gray and brown	cool blue

Light Reflectance Value

Light Reflective Value measures how much light a color bounces around. This is on a scale of 0 to 100 with 0 being pure black and 100 being pure white.

Wrought Iron and Cheating Heart are both very dark grays / light blacks.

With an LRV of 8.17, Wrought Iron is a bit darker than Cheating Heart (LRV of 8.79). However, the LRVs are similar.

Undertones

While both Wrought Iron and Cheating Heart have blue undertones, they come across differently. Wrought Iron has soft blue undertones, and Cheating Heart has cool blue undertones.

Also, Wrought Iron also features gray and brown undertones.

Between the two, Wrought Iron leans more gray, and Cheating Heart has a darker blue hue.

In south-facing rooms with lots of natural light, Cheating Heart will appear as more charcoal, and Wrought Iron will appear as more deep charcoal or muted black.

The blue undertones in both colors will prevent either color from looking black in rooms with lots of light. Cheating Heart may even look like a deep blue-gray.

In north-facing rooms without much natural light or in interior rooms such as a bathroom, both Cheating Heart and Wrought Iron will most often look black. Wrought Iron’s gray undertones will be more apparent.

How do I decide between these two colors?

Wrought Iron and Cheating Heart are very similar colors, so odds are, if you’re deciding between these two, you’ll be happy either way.

However, if you want a bit more gray, go with Wrought Iron. If you want a bit of a bluer hue, go with Cheating Heart.

Thanks for reading!

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