Finding a Valspar Equivalent for Granite Boulder

If you love Behr Granite Boulder but need a Valspar alternative, you are not alone. This is one of the most common cross-brand paint matching searches, whether you are working with a painter who prefers Valspar, your local store does not carry Behr, or you simply want to compare prices across brands before committing.

Granite Boulder (PPU18-01) is a dark gray with warm near-black undertones. A very dark, warm charcoal approaching black. Behr's most popular near-black. The warm brown undertone keeps it from feeling flat or lifeless. Rich and commanding. To find a good Valspar match, we need a color that captures not just the right depth (LRV 5) but also that specific undertone character. That is where Delta E color science comes in.

We calculated the perceptual color distance between Granite Boulder and every Valspar color using the CIE2000 Delta E formula, which measures how different two colors look to the human eye. A Delta E under 2 means most people cannot tell the colors apart. Between 2 and 4, you might notice a difference in certain lighting. Above 5, the difference is clearly visible side by side.

The good news: there is a strong Valspar match for Granite Boulder. Night View (VR078A) comes in with a Delta E of 2.2, which puts it in the "excellent match" range. Night View is the closest Valspar option. Very close match.

Valspar Matches for Granite Boulder

Night View VR078A
Excellent match · ΔE 2.2

Night View is the closest Valspar option. Very close match.

Granite BoulderNight View
LRV56
Hex#4A4946#4A4C4B
UndertoneWarm Near-BlackCool Near-Black
FamilyGrayGray

Undertone Comparison

Granite Boulder has warm near-black undertones. A very dark, warm charcoal approaching black. Behr's most popular near-black. The warm brown undertone keeps it from feeling flat or lifeless. Rich and commanding.

Night View has cool near-black undertones. A cool, nearly black gray. Valspar's darkest neutral. Clean and modern, without the warm brown lean of most near-blacks.

The undertone difference is worth paying attention to. While they are close in overall appearance, the different undertones mean they may diverge in certain lighting. Granite Boulder's warm near-black quality may read differently than Night View's cool near-black character, especially in rooms with strong directional light or colored accents that could pull out one undertone more than the other. Test a sample in your specific room before committing.

How These Colors Behave in Different Lighting

Granite Boulder in Your Room

In bright light, the warm brown-charcoal character shows. In dim rooms, it reads as a soft black. The warmth gives it more character than a flat black paint.

Night View in Your Room

In bright light, reads as a very dark cool gray. In dim rooms, approaches black. The cool lean keeps it sharp and modern.

LRV and Brightness

Granite Boulder has an LRV of 5, while Night View has an LRV of 6. These two colors reflect a very similar amount of light, so you should not notice a significant difference in room brightness when switching between them. The room will feel approximately the same in terms of light and space, which makes this a smoother transition.

Best Rooms for Granite Boulder

Behr recommends Granite Boulder for: front door, accent wall, exterior trim, shutters, statement furniture. With an LRV of 5, this is a dark color that absorbs more light than it reflects. It makes a bold statement and works beautifully on accent walls, front doors, exterior trim, and features where drama is the goal. In a full room, make sure you have good lighting and bright white trim for contrast.

Night View is recommended for: front door, accent wall, exterior trim, shutters, cabinets. Both colors are recommended for similar applications, which confirms that this is a practical cross-brand match. You can use Night View in the same rooms you planned for Granite Boulder.

Granite Boulder in Other Brands

Looking for Granite Boulder equivalents in other brands besides Valspar? We have matches across all major paint brands.

Frequently Asked Questions

The closest Valspar match for Granite Boulder (PPU18-01) is Night View (VR078A) with a Delta E of 2.2, which rates as a "excellent match" match. Night View is the closest Valspar option. Very close match. Delta E measures perceptual color distance on a scale where under 2 means nearly identical, 2 to 4 means close with subtle differences, and over 5 means clearly noticeable.

No, they are not identical. Granite Boulder is a Behr color with warm near-black undertones and an LRV of 5. Night View is a Valspar color with cool near-black undertones and an LRV of 6. With a Delta E of 2.2, the difference is subtle and mainly visible in direct side-by-side comparison. Paint formulations differ between brands, so even colors with similar values can look slightly different due to pigment concentration, binders, and finish.

With a Delta E of 2.2, these colors are close enough to use in separate rooms of the same house without a jarring difference. However, avoid painting them on adjacent walls in the same room, as even subtle differences become apparent at a hard edge where two paints meet. For the smoothest result, use one brand consistently within each connected space and reserve the other brand for rooms that are visually separated.

There are several practical reasons to look for a Valspar equivalent. Price differences between brands can be significant on large projects. Availability matters if your nearest paint store or home center specializes in Valspar. Some painters have strong preferences for one brand's formula based on coverage, dry time, or workability. And if you are touching up existing Valspar work, matching within the same brand gives you the best consistency for seamless results.

Colors on screen are approximations. Your monitor, lighting, and paint finish will affect how colors appear in your space. Always test with a physical paint sample before purchasing.

Match calculations use Delta E (CIE2000) computed from Lab color space conversion. Color data sourced from manufacturer specifications. Last reviewed: March 22, 2026.