NEUTRALS

Hard Coal

#656464

RGB 101, 100, 100 · HSL 0°, 0%, 39% · CMYK 0, 1, 1, 60

Hard Coal is #656464 in HEX — rgb(101, 100, 100), hsl(0°, 0%, 39%), cmyk(0%, 1%, 1%, 60%).

Hard Coal pulls into the rich end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 0°, 0%, 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#656464

RGB101, 100, 100

HSL0°, 0%, 39%

HSV0°, 1%, 40%

CMYK0, 1, 1, 60

Decimal6644836

CSS RGBrgb(101, 100, 100)

CSS HSLhsl(0, 0%, 39%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

IKEA

IKEA188 188

ΔE 1.3 · #646462

Benjamin Moore

City CSP-60

ΔE 1.4 · #636564

Dulux

Grey Eagle SN4E8

ΔE 1.7 · #616061

Behr

Arabian Veil PPU17-19

ΔE 1.8 · #696465

Dunn-Edwards

Pointed Rock DE6363

ΔE 1.9 · #646767

Sherwin-Williams

Roycroft Pewter SW2848

ΔE 2.2 · #616564

Kilz

Graphic Gray RM180

ΔE 2.3 · #6B6866

Farrow & Ball

Down Pipe 26

ΔE 2.4 · #626664

Valspar

Semi-Sweet 4003-2C

ΔE 2.4 · #625F5D

Vista Paint

Polished Pewter C-1463

ΔE 2.5 · #646869

Hallman-Lindsay

Gropius Gray historic-gropius-gray

ΔE 2.8 · #63615D

PPG

Knight's Armor 1001-6

ΔE 3.2 · #5C5D5D

Dutch Boy

Seal of Grey VS-9301

ΔE 5.5 · #575757

RAL

Quartz Grey 7039

ΔE 5.8 · #6C6960

Colorhouse

Metal .05 Metal-05

ΔE 6.6 · #535654

Kobra

Green 37

ΔE 12.4 · #515545

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

13/100

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

#656464

#636363

Analogous

#636363

#656464

#636363

Triadic

#656464

#636363

Split-Complementary

#656464

#636363

Tetradic

#656464

#636363

Monochromatic

#171717

#3D3D3D

#656464

#8A8A8A

#B0B0B0

Rectangle

#656464

#636363

Compound

#656464

#636363

Variations

Lighter

#838383

#A2A2A2

#C9C9C9

Darker

#505050

#373737

#202020

Saturation

#636363

#953232

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

5.90:1

vs Black

3.56:1

AA Large

Deuteranopia

#656464

#646464

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#656464

#646464

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#656464

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Hard Coal 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

#8B7866

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#656464

Daylight 5500K

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

#787D8A

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.

#3F6A6A

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: #656464;

CSS — background

background-color: #656464;

CSS Variable

--color-hard-coal: #656464;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'hard-coal': '#656464' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#656464] text-[#656464]

SCSS

$hard-coal: #656464;

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#626463 · ΔE 1.4

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#696867 · ΔE 1.7

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#646769 · ΔE 2.2

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#6A6967 · ΔE 2.3

Stormy Sky

#626568 · ΔE 2.4

Kendall Charcoal

#676662 · ΔE 2.5

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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 #656464?

#656464 is Hard Coal, a deep neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #656464 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Hard Coal?

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

What colors pair well with Hard Coal?

Hard Coal 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 Hard Coal?

You can download Hard Coal 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 Hard Coal?

The hex code is #656464. In RGB it's 101, 100, 100, and in HSL it's 0°, 0%, 39%.

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