NEUTRALS

Neutral

#616161

RGB 97, 97, 97 · HSL 0°, 0%, 38% · CMYK 0, 0, 0, 62

Neutral is #616161 in HEX — rgb(97, 97, 97), hsl(0°, 0%, 38%), cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 62%).

Neutral pulls into the rich end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 0°, 0%, 38%. 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#616161

RGB97, 97, 97

HSL0°, 0%, 38%

HSV0°, 0%, 38%

CMYK0, 0, 0, 62

Decimal6381921

CSS RGBrgb(97, 97, 97)

CSS HSLhsl(0, 0%, 38%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dulux

Grey Eagle SN4E8

ΔE 0.8 · #616061

Dunn-Edwards

Charcoal Smudge DE6370

ΔE 1.3 · #60605E

Vista Paint

Great Graphite K-825

ΔE 1.6 · #5E5F5D

IKEA

IKEA188 188

ΔE 1.7 · #646462

PPG

Knight's Armor 1001-6

ΔE 1.8 · #5C5D5D

Benjamin Moore

City CSP-60

ΔE 1.8 · #636564

Valspar

Semi-Sweet 4003-2C

ΔE 1.9 · #625F5D

Hallman-Lindsay

Zen Retreat 535

ΔE 2.1 · #5B5D5C

Sherwin-Williams

Roycroft Pewter SW2848

ΔE 2.2 · #616564

Kilz

Space RM200

ΔE 2.5 · #625D5E

Farrow & Ball

Down Pipe 26

ΔE 2.6 · #626664

Behr

Intellectual PPU18-19

ΔE 2.7 · #605C5A

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 4.2 · #575757

Colorhouse

Metal .05 Metal-05

ΔE 5.2 · #535654

RAL

Quartz Grey 7039

ΔE 6.4 · #6C6960

Kobra

Green 37

ΔE 11.6 · #515545

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

12/100

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

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

#616161

Analogous

#616161

Triadic

#616161

Split-Complementary

#616161

Tetradic

#616161

Monochromatic

#141414

#3B3B3B

#616161

#878787

#ADADAD

Rectangle

#616161

Compound

#616161

Variations

Lighter

#818181

#A0A0A0

#C8C8C8

Darker

#4E4E4E

#353535

#1F1F1F

Saturation

#616161

#913030

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

6.19:1

vs Black

3.39:1

AA Large

Deuteranopia

#616161

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#616161

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#616161

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

#887564

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#616161

Daylight 5500K

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

#757A88

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.

#3E6767

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: #616161;

CSS — background

background-color: #616161;

CSS Variable

--color-neutral: #616161;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'neutral': '#616161' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#616161] text-[#616161]

SCSS

$neutral: #616161;

Similar Colors

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#626463 · ΔE 1.5

Bracken Slate

#5E6363 · ΔE 2.1

Stormy Sky

#626568 · ΔE 2.6

Charcoal Slate

#646769 · ΔE 2.8

Overcoat

#696867 · ΔE 3.0

Kendall Charcoal

#676662 · ΔE 3.2

Burnt Ember

#6A6967 · ΔE 3.5

Ambler Slate

#57595A · ΔE 3.6

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 #616161?

#616161 is Neutral, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #616161 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 #616161. In RGB it's 97, 97, 97, and in HSL it's 0°, 0%, 38%.

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