NEUTRALS

Volcanic Sand

#404048

RGB 64, 64, 72 · HSL 240°, 6%, 27% · CMYK 11, 11, 0, 72

Volcanic Sand is #404048 in HEX — rgb(64, 64, 72), hsl(240°, 6%, 27%), cmyk(11%, 11%, 0%, 72%).

Volcanic Sand pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 240°, 6%, 27%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on main walls, trims, ceilings — versatile across nearly any style. Reads best alongside soft whites, natural wood, matte black trim, linen.

Color Codes

HEX#404048

RGB64, 64, 72

HSL240°, 6%, 27%

HSV240°, 11%, 28%

CMYK11, 11, 0, 72

Decimal4210760

CSS RGBrgb(64, 64, 72)

CSS HSLhsl(240, 6%, 27%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

PPG

Napoleon 1013-7

ΔE 0.6 · #404149

Benjamin Moore

Galaxy 2117-20

ΔE 1.9 · #423E45

Dulux

Intellectual S41A8

ΔE 2.1 · #3F414C

Valspar

Very Black 5011-2

ΔE 2.6 · #424449

RAL

Slate Grey 7015

ΔE 3.2 · #434750

Vista Paint

Pantry Plum K-88

ΔE 3.4 · #3D3F4C

Hallman-Lindsay

Octavius 522

ΔE 3.5 · #38393F

Dunn-Edwards

Stargazing DE6336

ΔE 3.6 · #414549

Farrow & Ball

Paean Black 294

ΔE 3.6 · #494248

Kilz

Night Magic RM230

ΔE 3.7 · #3C4348

Sherwin-Williams

Charcoal Blue SW2739

ΔE 3.9 · #3D4450

Behr

Totally Black HDC-MD-04

ΔE 4 · #3E3F41

IKEA

IKEA163 163

ΔE 4.4 · #423A45

Colorhouse

Metal .06 Metal-06

ΔE 5.8 · #3F4647

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 6.7 · #383737

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 10.9 · #575757

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

5/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneBlue UndertoneViolet

A near-neutral with a subtle neutral violet undertone — it will pick up colour from surrounding surfaces and shift noticeably under different light.

Color Theory

Complementary

#404048

#494941

Analogous

#414549

#404048

#454149

Triadic

#404048

#494141

#414941

Split-Complementary

#404048

#494541

#454941

Tetradic

#404048

#494145

#494941

#414945

Monochromatic

#0C0C0E

#1D1D20

#404048

#656572

#8B8B98

Rectangle

#404048

#494149

#494941

#414941

Compound

#404048

#454149

#494941

#454941

Variations

Lighter

#646470

#8A8A95

#BBBBC1

Darker

#34343B

#232328

#151518

Saturation

#444446

#414149

#202069

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens

Best Uses

main walls, trim, accents

Pairs With

soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

10.27:1

AAA

vs Black

2.04:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#404048

#3F4148

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#404048

#404047

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#404048

#3F4141

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Volcanic Sand gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm

PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless

versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall

How it looks under different light

#6F5D51

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#404048

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#5D6275

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EAEAEB

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#49492C

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

Paint Info

Brand · Product Line

Benjamin Moore / Regal Select Interior

Recommended Finishes

Eggshell (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Matte (ceiling)

Eggshell hides imperfections on main walls while keeping the color rich; pearl on trim adds subtle sheen and easier cleaning; flat matte on ceilings prevents glare.

Best Surfaces

Primary walls · Cabinetry · Doors · Mouldings

Coverage & Dry Time

Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.

Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.

Primer

Standard primer is adequate.

Application Tip

Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.

Paint Calculator

Wall area (m²)

Coats

Coverage (m² / L)

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

Code Snippets

CSS — color

color: #404048;

CSS — background

background-color: #404048;

CSS Variable

--color-volcanic-sand: #404048;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'volcanic-sand': '#404048' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#404048] text-[#404048]

SCSS

$volcanic-sand: #404048;

Similar Colors

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#42444B · ΔE 1.9

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#413D44 · ΔE 2.1

Toucan Black

#3C3B40 · ΔE 3.0

Black Berry

#3A3B3F · ΔE 3.6

Soot

#373C41 · ΔE 3.8

Plum Martini

#403C3F · ΔE 4.0

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#44484D · ΔE 4.0

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Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.

Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is #404048?

#404048 is Volcanic Sand, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #404048 warm or cool?

Volcanic Sand reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Volcanic Sand?

Volcanic Sand works well in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens. Designers typically use it for main walls, trim, accents.

What colors pair well with Volcanic Sand?

Volcanic Sand pairs naturally with soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Volcanic Sand?

You can download Volcanic Sand on DSGN.HOUSE in 15 designer formats including CSS gradient, Figma, Procreate swatches, Tailwind config, Adobe ASE, SVG, and 4K wallpapers — all free.

What's the hex code for Volcanic Sand?

The hex code is #404048. In RGB it's 64, 64, 72, and in HSL it's 240°, 6%, 27%.

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