What Color Is Walnut Wood? Hex Codes, Steaming, Fading

Walnut wood is a medium to dark chocolate brown, sometimes streaked with gray, purple or red, and its sapwood is nearly white. Species, steaming, finish and years of light change the shade you actually see. This guide covers walnut hex codes, heartwood versus sapwood, steaming, finishes, fading and how the different “walnut” woods compare.

Walnut Wood Color: Exact Shades And Hex Codes

Walnut color is not one shade. It spans a range depending on the species, the part of the tree, the finish and the age of the piece. The table gives approximate screen values for matching walnut to paint, stain or existing furniture. They are display swatches, not measurements taken from lumber, so always hold a real sample against your piece.

Shade name	Hex code	RGB	Description
Sapwood / light tan	#DEB886	222, 184, 134	Pale creamy tan from the outer sapwood layer
Natural walnut	#774E37	119, 78, 55	Medium warm brown, the most recognized walnut tone
Dark walnut	#5A3F1E	90, 63, 30	Deep brown heartwood with reddish undertones
English walnut	#443028	68, 48, 40	Dark chocolate brown with cooler gray undertones
Black walnut (darkest)	#42291A	66, 41, 26	Very dark, near espresso, the darkest natural walnut shade

The code most often used for walnut is #774E37, a medium-dark warm brown typical of finished natural walnut. If a paint or stain is labeled “walnut,” this is usually the shade it is aiming at. British readers: “walnut colour” and “walnut color” mean the same shade, only the spelling differs. For a side-by-side with a similar-looking wood, see mahogany vs walnut color.

Heartwood Vs Sapwood: Where Walnut Color Comes From

A walnut board is rarely one color because it is cut from two zones of the log. The Wood Database describes black walnut heartwood as ranging from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with darker brown streaks, occasionally with gray, purple or reddish undertones. The sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white. The same source warns that wastage can be high if sapwood is not accounted for in a project. (Wood Database, black walnut)

That contrast is why the shade you see on a finished piece depends on how it was cut and sorted. A tabletop glued up from heartwood only will look uniformly dark, while a board with a wide sapwood edge shows a bright stripe unless it has been steamed or the edge is cut off. Sapwood is not a defect, and some makers keep it on purpose for contrast.

Does Steaming Change Walnut’s Color?

Yes, and it is the reason a lumberyard walnut board often looks more even than a freshly sawn one. Because the sapwood is white and the contrast with the heartwood is extreme, mills commonly steam walnut green, then kiln dry it. Steaming darkens the sapwood and makes the heartwood more uniform, and it lets the heartwood lose its purplish cast and turn chocolate brown.

📊 Typical steaming parameters: 190 to 212 °F for 24 to 96 hours without pressure (72 hours is common), or about 6 psi and 230 °F for 5 hours under pressure. Source: WoodWeb Knowledge Base, Steaming Walnut for Color

“a chemical change and not the movement of extractives”

What this means when you buy: if you want the purple-gray tone, ask the supplier whether the walnut was steamed. If you want the most uniform brown, steamed boards are the safer choice. Our what wood looks like walnut guide covers look-alikes if you cannot source real walnut.

Dark Walnut Wood: Color And Characteristics

Dark walnut wood refers to the deepest-toned walnut lumber, most commonly the heartwood of black walnut (Juglans nigra). Its color sits in the #5A3F1E to #42291A range: a deep chocolate brown that often carries subtle purple, gray or reddish streaks running through the grain.

What Makes Dark Walnut So Dark

The depth comes almost entirely from the heartwood, the dense older core of the tree, and from steaming, which pulls pale sapwood closer to the heartwood tone. Dark walnut is not a separate species. It is simply walnut that is mostly heartwood, steamed, and finished to deepen its color.

Dark Walnut Color Vs. Standard Walnut

Standard (natural) walnut sits around #774E37, a medium warm brown. Dark walnut pushes toward #42291A, near espresso. If you are choosing between similar stain colors, read our comparison of dark walnut vs espresso. If your walnut has already faded and you want to restore it, how to lighten walnut wood covers bleaching and refinishing.

Walnut Vs. The Other “Walnut” Woods

Several woods are sold as walnut and they do not look identical. The table below uses Wood Database figures for each. The big surprise is Brazilian walnut, which is not a walnut at all.

Wood	Species	Heartwood color (Wood Database)	Janka hardness
Black walnut	Juglans nigra	Pale brown to dark chocolate brown with darker streaks; sapwood pale yellow-gray to nearly white	1,010 lbf
Claro walnut	Juglans hindsii	Pale brown to dark chocolate brown with darker streaks, sometimes gray, purple or reddish; sapwood nearly white	1,130 lbf
English walnut	Juglans regia	Pale brown to dark chocolate brown with darker streaks, sometimes gray, purple or reddish; sapwood nearly white	1,220 lbf
Peruvian walnut	Juglans spp.	Deep chocolate brown, sometimes purplish, with lighter streaks that can be extensive	960 lbf
Brazilian walnut (Ipe)	Handroanthus serratifolius	Reddish brown to yellowish olive brown or darker blackish brown	3,490 lbf

Sources: Wood Database pages for black walnut, ipe, claro walnut, English walnut and Peruvian walnut. The Wood Database lists “Brazilian walnut” as a marketing name for ipe, unrelated to true walnut, and ipe is more than three times harder than black walnut. A comment on the Peruvian walnut page also reports that sunlight can push that wood toward an orange-brown tone.

Practical takeaway: the three true Juglans woods in the table share nearly the same color description, so choose between them on price, availability and hardness rather than color. For head-to-head comparisons see walnut vs black walnut, claro vs black walnut and Peruvian vs black walnut.

How Finish Changes Walnut’s Color

Walnut is already dark, so the question is usually how much to leave alone. Oil and clear finishes wet the grain and deepen the color a little while keeping the natural variation. A stain can push the shade darker or even out sapwood, but it also tends to flatten the grain detail that makes walnut look expensive, so many woodworkers test on an offcut first.

Finish	Effect on walnut color	Best when
Penetrating oil (tung, linseed)	Deepens the brown and adds a warm amber glow	You want natural color with a hand-rubbed look
Clear topcoat (polyurethane, lacquer)	Adds protection and a slight deepening without hiding the grain	You want durability on tabletops and cabinets
Dark walnut stain	Darkens and evens out color, sapwood included	You are matching existing dark walnut or imitating it on oak or pine

For step-by-step finishing, see our guide on how to finish walnut wood.

Does Walnut Get Lighter Or Darker With Age?

Walnut fades toward a warmer, lighter brown with light exposure, which is the opposite of cherry. Wood Database commenters on the black walnut page describe the color fading quickly outdoors without treatment, and slowly but surely indoors. Woodworkers in forum threads commonly describe walnut bleaching in sun while cherry darkens, so the two woods drift toward each other over the years.

• Keep walnut out of direct sun or use UV-blocking window film.
• Rotate decor and furniture so one side does not fade faster.
• Use a UV-protective clear finish: it slows fading but does not stop it.
• Dust with a soft cloth and avoid abrasive cleaners.

Fading is also why a refinished antique can look quite different from the same wood in a showroom. If you want it darker again, a fresh oil coat or a dark walnut stain brings the depth back.

Using Walnut Tones In A Room

Walnut pairs well with white, gray and blue because its brown reads warm against cool colors, and it also works with stone, glass and woven textures. Against light woods, the contrast is strong. Compare how it sits next to oak in our guide on what color oak wood is, and see the wood grain comparison chart for grain differences across species. For cabinet pairings with dark floors, read what color cabinets go with dark wood floors.

Frequently Asked Questions On What Color Is Walnut Wood

What Is The Natural Colour Of Walnut Wood?

The natural colour of walnut wood ranges from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown in the heartwood, often with darker brown streaks and sometimes a gray, purple or reddish cast. The sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white. The most recognized finished shade is a warm medium-to-dark brown near hex #774E37.

Is Walnut A Light Or Dark Wood?

Walnut is a dark wood. Its heartwood runs from medium brown to deep chocolate, while the sapwood is nearly white, so a single board can contain both. Mills often steam walnut to darken the sapwood and even out the color before sale.

What Color Is Walnut Close To?

Walnut is closest to a dark chocolate or espresso brown, usually with a slightly gray or purplish cast. It sits cooler than mahogany and richer than plain medium brown. Paint and stain labels called dark walnut, chocolate brown or espresso come nearest.

What Wood Color Is Similar To Walnut?

Mahogany is warmer and redder, black cherry is lighter and more red-brown, and stained oak or ash can imitate walnut’s color but not its grain. For a longer list of look-alikes, see our guide on what wood looks like walnut.

Does Walnut Wood Get Darker Or Lighter With Age?

Walnut usually gets lighter. Light and air gradually fade the heartwood toward a warmer, lighter brown, which is the opposite of cherry, which woodworkers report darkening in light. A UV-protective clear finish slows the fading but does not stop it.

Why Is Some Walnut Purple Or Gray While Other Boards Are Chocolate Brown?

Unsteamed walnut heartwood can carry a purplish or gray cast. According to WoodWeb technical advisor Gene Wengert, steaming makes the heartwood more uniform and lets it lose its purplish cast and turn chocolate brown. Species and the individual tree also change the tone.

Conclusion

Walnut color runs from a pale brown to dark chocolate heartwood against nearly white sapwood, with natural walnut around #774E37 and dark walnut near #42291A. Steaming evens it out, a finish deepens it, and light slowly fades it toward warm brown. Match samples in person, and use the species table to choose between the true walnuts.