Farrow & Ball Smelt Black No.G18

Smelt Black No.G18 is a dark black from the Farrow & Ball Archive Collection, with a true neutral with no discernible bias. It sits in the dark band of the Farrow & Ball palette. It absorbs most of the light that falls on it, so it rewards rooms you want to feel enclosed and intimate — snugs, dining rooms, studies and panelled woodwork.

Using Smelt Black in a scheme

Blackened No.2011 is the white to run with it — it shares the same undertone, so ceilings, cornices and skirtings stay in the same key. Lift it with Plummett No.272 on adjoining walls.

Sampling this colour

Smelt Black sits outside Farrow & Ball's 132-colour signature palette, so it is not produced as a 100ml sample pot. Call in and we can show you the colour on a hand-painted card before you order.

Available finishes

• Dead Flat — ultra-matt walls, woodwork and metal (2% sheen)
• Estate Emulsion — interior walls and ceilings in low-traffic rooms (2% sheen)
• Modern Emulsion — washable, scuff-proof walls and ceilings in kitchens and bathrooms (7% sheen)
• Flat Eggshell — interior wood, metal, concrete and floors (20% sheen)
• Modern Eggshell — hard-wearing wood and metal, including floors and staircases (40% sheen)

Priming and light

Prime bare or previously painted surfaces with Farrow & Ball Dark Tones Primer & Undercoat. Matching the primer to the depth of Smelt Black gives truer colour and usually saves you a topcoat. In a north-facing room this goes very deep on an overcast day. That richness is the reason to choose it — test a patch beside your window first.

Made to order

Smelt Black is a Farrow & Ball Archive colour. Archive colours are mixed to order specifically for you rather than held in stock, so please allow extra time and note that they cannot be returned or exchanged once mixed.

Colour reference

• Colour number: No.G18
• Hex: #3C3C3C
• RGB: 60, 60, 60
• Colour family: Blacks
• Collection: Archive Collection
• Light reflectance value (LRV): see Farrow & Ball colour card

Mixed to order at Foy & Company

Every tin of Smelt Black is mixed to order on our Farrow & Ball tinting system from the correct Farrow & Ball base, so you get genuine Farrow & Ball paint in the finish and size you need. Nationwide delivery across Ireland.