NEUTRALS

Shearwater Black

#5B5B6C

RGB 91, 91, 108 · HSL 240°, 9%, 39% · CMYK 16, 16, 0, 58

Shearwater Black is #5B5B6C in HEX — rgb(91, 91, 108), hsl(240°, 9%, 39%), cmyk(16%, 16%, 0%, 58%).

Shearwater Black pulls into the rich end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 240°, 9%, 39%. 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#5B5B6C

RGB91, 91, 108

HSL240°, 9%, 39%

HSV240°, 16%, 42%

CMYK16, 16, 0, 58

Decimal5987180

CSS RGBrgb(91, 91, 108)

CSS HSLhsl(240, 9%, 39%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Behr

Legacy UL250-22

ΔE 2.2 · #5C5967

Dulux

Prince Royal S44A6

ΔE 3 · #60616F

Valspar

Boysenberry Jam 4002-4C

ΔE 3 · #635D6C

Dunn-Edwards

Pencil Lead DE5922

ΔE 3.4 · #5C6274

Hallman-Lindsay

Blackwater 1320

ΔE 3.5 · #545663

Benjamin Moore

Blue 1435 · CC-900

ΔE 3.7 · #5D6375

PPG

Purple Parlor 13-17

ΔE 4 · #595461

Vista Paint

Blackwater C-1319

ΔE 4.2 · #535561

Sherwin-Williams

Mineral Gray SW2740

ΔE 4.6 · #515763

Kilz

India Ink RB100-01

ΔE 5.5 · #4C5064

Farrow & Ball

Stiffkey Blue 281

ΔE 5.6 · #4D5B6A

IKEA

IKEA156 156

ΔE 7 · #676973

RAL

Pearl Black Berry 4012

ΔE 7.7 · #6C6881

Colorhouse

Wool .06 Wool-06

ΔE 8 · #485761

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 10.6 · #575757

Kobra

Blue 31

ΔE 14.2 · #334059

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

11/100

Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Soaks up light and feels moody and intimate. Great for studies, dining rooms and accent walls; pair with ample lighting.

Undertone

TemperatureCool MasstoneBlue UndertoneViolet

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#5B5B6C

#6C6C5A

Analogous

#5A636C

#5B5B6C

#635A6C

Triadic

#5B5B6C

#6C5A5A

#5A6C5A

Split-Complementary

#5B5B6C

#6C635A

#636C5A

Tetradic

#5B5B6C

#6C5A63

#6C6C5A

#5A6C63

Monochromatic

#151519

#383843

#5B5B6C

#7F7F94

#A9A9B7

Rectangle

#5B5B6C

#6C5A6C

#6C6C5A

#5A6C5A

Compound

#5B5B6C

#635A6C

#6C6C5A

#636C5A

Variations

Lighter

#77778E

#9B9BA9

#C5C5CC

Darker

#484857

#31313C

#1D1D23

Saturation

#616166

#5A5A6C

#2D2D9A

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

6.65:1

vs Black

3.16:1

AA Large

Deuteranopia

#5B5B6C

#585D6C

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#5B5B6C

#5B5B6A

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#5B5B6C

#595E5C

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Shearwater 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

#84716C

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#5B5B6C

Daylight 5500K

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

#717690

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.

#6A6A3F

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: #5B5B6C;

CSS — background

background-color: #5B5B6C;

CSS Variable

--color-shearwater-black: #5B5B6C;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'shearwater-black': '#5B5B6C' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#5B5B6C] text-[#5B5B6C]

SCSS

$shearwater-black: #5B5B6C;

Similar Colors

Blue Gaspe

#5C6274 · ΔE 3.4

Evening Dove

#515A67 · ΔE 4.6

Andes Summit

#586471 · ΔE 6.0

Wild Mulberry

#6B5E6B · ΔE 6.2

Wood Violet

#504C5B · ΔE 6.3

Nightfall Sky

#6F6578 · ΔE 6.5

Super Nova

#514C5A · ΔE 6.5

Mythic

#5F5960 · ΔE 6.5

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 #5B5B6C?

#5B5B6C is Shearwater Black, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #5B5B6C warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Shearwater Black?

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

What colors pair well with Shearwater Black?

Shearwater 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 Shearwater Black?

You can download Shearwater 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 Shearwater Black?

The hex code is #5B5B6C. In RGB it's 91, 91, 108, and in HSL it's 240°, 9%, 39%.

← All colors