NEUTRALS

Bittersweet Molasses

#5B5354

RGB 91, 83, 84 · HSL 353°, 5%, 34% · CMYK 0, 9, 8, 64

Bittersweet Molasses is #5B5354 in HEX — rgb(91, 83, 84), hsl(353°, 5%, 34%), cmyk(0%, 9%, 8%, 64%).

Bittersweet Molasses pulls into the rich end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 353°, 5%, 34%. 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#5B5354

RGB91, 83, 84

HSL353°, 5%, 34%

HSV353°, 9%, 36%

CMYK0, 9, 8, 64

Decimal5985108

CSS RGBrgb(91, 83, 84)

CSS HSLhsl(353, 5%, 34%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dulux

Rix S05A7

ΔE 1.8 · #605656

Hallman-Lindsay

Smokescreen 556

ΔE 2.4 · #5E5755

Dunn-Edwards

Black Russian DE6391

ΔE 2.5 · #5C5451

Vista Paint

Zuli K-769

ΔE 2.6 · #5D585B

Behr

Sweet Truffle 730B-6

ΔE 2.8 · #635759

Valspar

Blackstrap 4001-2C

ΔE 3 · #5F5A5B

Benjamin Moore

Iron 2134-30

ΔE 3.3 · #585654

Kilz

Bittersweet Brown LM140

ΔE 3.4 · #5D524E

PPG

Bark 1007-7

ΔE 3.6 · #5F5854

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 3.6 · #575757

Sherwin-Williams

Peppercorn SW7674

ΔE 3.8 · #585858

IKEA

IKEA091 91

ΔE 4 · #574C49

Colorhouse

Metal .05 Metal-05

ΔE 5.1 · #535654

Farrow & Ball

Tanner's Brown 255

ΔE 5.6 · #4D4746

RAL

Traffic Grey B 7043

ΔE 6.4 · #4E5452

Kobra

Red 17

ΔE 10.6 · #583F40

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

9/100

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

#5B5354

#525B5A

Analogous

#5B5258

#5B5354

#5B5652

Triadic

#5B5354

#535B52

#52535B

Split-Complementary

#5B5354

#525B56

#52585B

Tetradic

#5B5354

#585B52

#525B5A

#56525B

Monochromatic

#0D0C0C

#332E2F

#5B5354

#837778

#A89FA0

Rectangle

#5B5354

#5B5A52

#525B5A

#52535B

Compound

#5B5354

#5B5652

#525B5A

#52585B

Variations

Lighter

#7E7274

#9E9697

#C6C2C3

Darker

#494243

#322D2E

#1D1A1B

Saturation

#585556

#5B5253

#842934

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

7.47:1

AAA

vs Black

2.81:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#5B5354

#565654

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#5B5354

#545454

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#5B5354

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Bittersweet Molasses 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

#846B5A

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#5B5354

Daylight 5500K

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

#71707E

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.

#375C58

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: #5B5354;

CSS — background

background-color: #5B5354;

CSS Variable

--color-bittersweet-molasses: #5B5354;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'bittersweet-molasses': '#5B5354' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#5B5354] text-[#5B5354]

SCSS

$bittersweet-molasses: #5B5354;

Similar Colors

Iron Mountain

#575553 · ΔE 3.2

Silhouette

#57504C · ΔE 3.5

Gray

#585858 · ΔE 3.8

Topeka Taupe

#60544F · ΔE 4.2

Mountain Ridge

#675C5F · ΔE 4.4

Mythic

#5F5960 · ΔE 4.5

Stone Brown

#5F544E · ΔE 4.6

Ambler Slate

#57595A · 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 #5B5354?

#5B5354 is Bittersweet Molasses, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #5B5354 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Bittersweet Molasses?

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

What colors pair well with Bittersweet Molasses?

Bittersweet Molasses 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 Bittersweet Molasses?

You can download Bittersweet Molasses 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 Bittersweet Molasses?

The hex code is #5B5354. In RGB it's 91, 83, 84, and in HSL it's 353°, 5%, 34%.

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