NEUTRALS

Paean Black

#494248

RGB 73, 66, 72 · HSL 309°, 5%, 27% · CMYK 0, 10, 1, 71

Paean Black is #494248 in HEX — rgb(73, 66, 72), hsl(309°, 5%, 27%), cmyk(0%, 10%, 1%, 71%).

Paean Black pulls into the deep end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 309°, 5%, 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#494248

RGB73, 66, 72

HSL309°, 5%, 27%

HSV309°, 10%, 29%

CMYK0, 10, 1, 71

Decimal4801096

CSS RGBrgb(73, 66, 72)

CSS HSLhsl(309, 5%, 27%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Farrow & Ball

Paean Black 294

Exact match

PPG

Blackhearth 1003-7

ΔE 1.7 · #49454B

Behr

Spanish Raisin 720B-7

ΔE 2 · #4A4044

Sherwin-Williams

Plum Brown SW6272

ΔE 2.4 · #4E4247

Benjamin Moore

Galaxy 2117-20

ΔE 2.5 · #423E45

Vista Paint

My Place or Yours? C-1312

ΔE 2.7 · #4E434C

Kilz

Grate Black RM240

ΔE 2.8 · #49474C

Dulux

Oboe D'Amore SG6A8

ΔE 3 · #493D42

Valspar

Rare Wine 1011-9

ΔE 3.7 · #4D404A

IKEA

IKEA160 160

ΔE 3.8 · #4D3E45

Hallman-Lindsay

My Place Or Yours? 1313

ΔE 4 · #4F434E

Dunn-Edwards

Black Tie DE6357

ΔE 4.6 · #464647

RAL

Graphite Grey 7024

ΔE 5 · #474A51

Colorhouse

Metal .06 Metal-06

ΔE 6.9 · #3F4647

Kobra

Black 44

ΔE 7.4 · #383737

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 9.5 · #575757

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

6/100

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 MasstonePink UndertoneRed

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#494248

#414842

Analogous

#464148

#494248

#484144

Triadic

#494248

#474841

#414748

Split-Complementary

#494248

#444841

#414846

Tetradic

#494248

#484641

#414842

#414448

Monochromatic

#0D0C0D

#201D20

#494248

#70666F

#978C95

Rectangle

#494248

#484241

#414842

#414748

Compound

#494248

#484144

#414842

#414846

Variations

Lighter

#6F656E

#948B93

#C0BCBF

Darker

#3A3439

#282427

#171517

Saturation

#464446

#484147

#69215E

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

9.74:1

AAA

vs Black

2.16:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#494248

#444548

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#494248

#434347

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#494248

#484343

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Paean Black 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

#765E51

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#494248

Daylight 5500K

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

#636375

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEB

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.

#2C4930

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: #494248;

CSS — background

background-color: #494248;

CSS Variable

--color-paean-black: #494248;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'paean-black': '#494248' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#494248] text-[#494248]

SCSS

$paean-black: #494248;

Similar Colors

Galaxy

#413D44 · ΔE 2.9

Deep Indigo

#49484C · ΔE 3.6

Plum Martini

#403C3F · ΔE 3.8

Deep Caviar

#494242 · ΔE 3.8

Abyss

#42444B · ΔE 3.9

Vintage Wine

#544649 · ΔE 4.4

Ebony Slate

#4A4A53 · ΔE 4.6

Toucan Black

#3C3B40 · ΔE 4.6

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 #494248?

#494248 is Paean Black, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #494248 warm or cool?

Paean Black reads cool, which influences how it interacts with surrounding tones and natural light.

What rooms work best with Paean Black?

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

What colors pair well with Paean Black?

Paean Black 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 Paean Black?

You can download Paean Black 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 Paean Black?

The hex code is #494248. In RGB it's 73, 66, 72, and in HSL it's 309°, 5%, 27%.

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