NEUTRALS

Neutral

#525252

RGB 82, 82, 82 · HSL 0°, 0%, 32% · CMYK 0, 0, 0, 68

Neutral is #525252 in HEX — rgb(82, 82, 82), hsl(0°, 0%, 32%), cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 68%).

Neutral pulls into the rich end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 0°, 0%, 32%. 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#525252

RGB82, 82, 82

HSL0°, 0%, 32%

HSV0°, 0%, 32%

CMYK0, 0, 0, 68

Decimal5395026

CSS RGBrgb(82, 82, 82)

CSS HSLhsl(0, 0%, 32%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dunn-Edwards

Cavernous DE6364

ΔE 0.4 · #515252

Dulux

Castlecliff NZ10G6

ΔE 1.2 · #4F504F

Behr

Wood Acres BXC-71

ΔE 1.2 · #4F5051

Valspar

Safari Brown 6009-1

ΔE 1.6 · #524F4F

Benjamin Moore

Nightfall 1596

ΔE 2 · #4C4F4F

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 2.1 · #575757

Kilz

Motor Gray TB-38

ΔE 2.2 · #545658

Colorhouse

Metal .05 Metal-05

ΔE 2.3 · #535654

Sherwin-Williams

Peppercorn SW7674

ΔE 2.5 · #585858

RAL

Traffic Grey B 7043

ΔE 2.9 · #4E5452

IKEA

IKEA152 152

ΔE 3.1 · #494F50

PPG

Zombie 1010-7

ΔE 3.6 · #595A5C

Vista Paint

Sturgis Gray C-1435

ΔE 4 · #57554F

Hallman-Lindsay

Smokescreen 556

ΔE 4.2 · #5E5755

Farrow & Ball

Studio Green 93

ΔE 4.5 · #464C49

Kobra

Green 37

ΔE 10.1 · #515545

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

8/100

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

#525252

Analogous

#525252

Triadic

#525252

Split-Complementary

#525252

Tetradic

#525252

Monochromatic

#0D0D0D

#2B2B2B

#525252

#787878

#9E9E9E

Rectangle

#525252

Compound

#525252

Variations

Lighter

#747474

#979797

#C2C2C2

Darker

#414141

#2D2D2D

#1A1A1A

Saturation

#525252

#7A2929

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

7.81:1

AAA

vs Black

2.69:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#525252

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#525252

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#525252

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Neutral 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

#7D6A59

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#525252

Daylight 5500K

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

#6A6F7D

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEB

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.

#345757

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: #525252;

CSS — background

background-color: #525252;

CSS Variable

--color-neutral: #525252;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'neutral': '#525252' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#525252] text-[#525252]

SCSS

$neutral: #525252;

Similar Colors

Iron Mountain

#575553 · ΔE 2.0

Nightfall

#4B4E4E · ΔE 2.4

Gray

#585858 · ΔE 2.5

French Beret

#4C4F52 · ΔE 2.7

Cheating Heart

#4B4D4F · ΔE 2.7

Ambler Slate

#57595A · ΔE 3.0

Westcott Navy

#4E5357 · ΔE 3.2

Deep Space

#52565A · ΔE 3.3

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 #525252?

#525252 is Neutral, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #525252 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Neutral?

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

What colors pair well with Neutral?

Neutral 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 Neutral?

You can download Neutral 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 Neutral?

The hex code is #525252. In RGB it's 82, 82, 82, and in HSL it's 0°, 0%, 32%.

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