NEUTRALS

Emperor

#50494A

RGB 80, 73, 74 · HSL 351°, 5%, 30% · CMYK 0, 9, 7, 69

Emperor is #50494A in HEX — rgb(80, 73, 74), hsl(351°, 5%, 30%), cmyk(0%, 9%, 7%, 69%).

Emperor pulls into the rich end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 351°, 5%, 30%. 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#50494A

RGB80, 73, 74

HSL351°, 5%, 30%

HSV351°, 9%, 31%

CMYK0, 9, 7, 69

Decimal5261642

CSS RGBrgb(80, 73, 74)

CSS HSLhsl(351, 5%, 30%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

PPG

Black Elegance 1004-7

ΔE 0.8 · #50484A

Farrow & Ball

Tanner's Brown 255

ΔE 1.7 · #4D4746

Behr

Instant Classic MQ1-34

ΔE 1.7 · #554C4D

Dunn-Edwards

Black Bean DE6385

ΔE 2.2 · #4E4B4A

Valspar

Black Raisin 4002-2C

ΔE 2.5 · #514745

Dulux

Subtle Nightsky S46A7

ΔE 2.6 · #554B4F

Benjamin Moore

Deep 2130-20

ΔE 2.7 · #4A4343

Sherwin-Williams

Perle Noir SW9154

ΔE 3.2 · #4F4D51

Vista Paint

New Uniform K-792

ΔE 3.4 · #49484C

IKEA

IKEA091 91

ΔE 3.5 · #574C49

Kilz

Grate Black RM240

ΔE 3.6 · #49474C

Hallman-Lindsay

Midnight Magic 508

ΔE 4.1 · #46474A

RAL

Blue Grey 7031

ΔE 4.9 · #474B4E

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 6.1 · #575757

Colorhouse

Metal .05 Metal-05

ΔE 6.6 · #535654

Kobra

Red 17

ΔE 8.9 · #583F40

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

7/100

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 MasstoneRed UndertonePink

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#50494A

#49504F

Analogous

#50494E

#50494A

#504B49

Triadic

#50494A

#4A5049

#494A50

Split-Complementary

#50494A

#49504B

#494E50

Tetradic

#50494A

#4E5049

#49504F

#4B4950

Monochromatic

#0D0C0C

#282425

#50494A

#786D6F

#9E9495

Rectangle

#50494A

#504F49

#49504F

#494A50

Compound

#50494A

#504B49

#49504F

#494E50

Variations

Lighter

#766B6C

#988F91

#C3BEBF

Darker

#403A3B

#2C2828

#1A1717

Saturation

#4E4B4C

#50494A

#752430

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

8.78:1

AAA

vs Black

2.39:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#50494A

#4C4C4A

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#50494A

#4A4A4A

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#50494A

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Emperor 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

#7B6353

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#50494A

Daylight 5500K

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

#696877

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEA

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.

#31514C

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: #50494A;

CSS — background

background-color: #50494A;

CSS Variable

--color-emperor: #50494A;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'emperor': '#50494A' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#50494A] text-[#50494A]

SCSS

$emperor: #50494A;

Similar Colors

Cordovan Brown

#4A4442 · ΔE 3.1

Deep Caviar

#494242 · ΔE 3.1

Deep Indigo

#49484C · ΔE 3.4

Vintage Wine

#544649 · ΔE 3.4

Wrought Iron

#494A4B · ΔE 3.5

Day's End

#4B4B4F · ΔE 3.6

Midsummer Night

#504A45 · ΔE 3.8

Midnight Oil

#464748 · ΔE 3.9

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 #50494A?

#50494A is Emperor, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #50494A warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Emperor?

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

What colors pair well with Emperor?

Emperor 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 Emperor?

You can download Emperor 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 Emperor?

The hex code is #50494A. In RGB it's 80, 73, 74, and in HSL it's 351°, 5%, 30%.

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