True Black vs Ebony
True Black is a genuinely neutral black with no undertone; Ebony is a near-black with a faint warm cast that still reads as very dark wood rather than flat black.
Pick True Black when you specifically need a neutral black, such as matching black-painted trim or hardware.
Pick Ebony for an "ebonized wood" look that keeps a hint of the wood's own character.
How close are they?
Delta-E (perceptual color distance) between True Black and Ebony is 4.2 (a visible but subtle difference, more apparent side by side than on separate pieces).
Side by side
| True Black | Ebony | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand and line | Minwax Wood Finish | Minwax Wood Finish |
| Color code | 274 | 2718 |
| Stain type | oil | oil |
| Hex (approx.) | #171514 | #211C1A |
| Lightness (L*) | 7 | 11 |
| Undertone | true neutral black, no undertone | near-black, faint warm cast |
Ebony is the lighter of the two by about 4 points of lightness on a 0 to 100 scale, so True Black will hide more of the wood's own grain and color on the same board. Hex values are on-screen approximations of each published swatch; confirm on a test board of your own wood before committing.
How each behaves on pine, oak, maple and cabinets
Pine
True Black: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so True Black (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Ebony: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Ebony (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Oak
True Black: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like True Black unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Ebony: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Ebony unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Maple
True Black: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so True Black blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Ebony: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Ebony blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Cabinets
True Black: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like True Black can lap-mark where one panel overlaps the next during application; wipe fast and work one door at a time to keep the color even.
Ebony: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Ebony can lap-mark where one panel overlaps the next during application; wipe fast and work one door at a time to keep the color even.