Black vs Gulf Blue
Paint comparison · updated Aug 2026
Black (#232529) reads darker than Gulf Blue (#79B4D6), so it holds shadow in the body lines where Gulf Blue lifts them. Both render in gloss, satin or matte, so the finish is a separate decision from the colour and you can try either one in all three. Body shape, paint condition and the light you shoot in move both colours further than a swatch chip suggests. Seeing them on your own car settles it, free, in a couple of minutes.
See both on your own carBlack vs Gulf Blue: the differences.
The first difference between Black and Gulf Blue is depth: Black reads darker, so it hides body lines that Gulf Blue shows. The second is not the finish: both are available in gloss, satin or matte, so the sheen is a separate decision from the colour. Low light, curved panels and your own trim decide the rest, and none of that shows up on a swatch. Render both on your car and compare them there.
Side by side
- Black Paint · SP-07 · #232529 No product reference gloss · satin · matte
- Gulf Blue Paint · SP-06 · #79B4D6 No product reference gloss · satin · matte
Black is a paint in the Specced catalogue, swatched at #232529. You can render it in gloss, satin or matte: the finish changes how hard the reflections read far more than the colour does. Body shape, paint condition and the light you photograph in all change how it lands, so the only honest preview of Black is one made from a photo of your own car.
Gulf Blue is the pale powder blue of the Gulf Oil racing livery, usually seen with an orange stripe down the middle. It is a light, cool blue that washes out towards white in direct sun and turns noticeably deeper in shade, so it looks like two different colours over one afternoon. It sits best on cars with plenty of flat panel to fill.
Real renders
Black on real cars.
3 renders shared publicly by people who specced their own car in Black.
All Black renders →
Real renders
Gulf Blue on real cars.
4 renders shared publicly by people who specced their own car in Gulf Blue.
All Gulf Blue renders →
Questions
- Which is darker, Black or Gulf Blue?
- Black is the darker of the two. Its swatch, #232529, has a lower relative luminance than Gulf Blue at #79B4D6.
- What finishes do Black and Gulf Blue come in?
- Both are paints, so both render in gloss, satin or matte. The finish is picked separately from the colour.
- Can I see Black and Gulf Blue on my own car?
- Yes. Upload a photo of your car to Specced, pick Black, then Gulf Blue, and you get a photoreal render of each on your own car to compare side by side. Free, no account needed.
Other comparisons
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