GREYS

Molten Lead

#686A69

RGB 104, 106, 105 · HSL 150°, 1%, 41% · CMYK 2, 0, 1, 58

Molten Lead is #686A69 in HEX — rgb(104, 106, 105), hsl(150°, 1%, 41%), cmyk(2%, 0%, 1%, 58%).

Molten Lead pulls into the rich end of the greys spectrum — HSL 150°, 1%, 41%. The neutral saturation makes it near-neutral and forgiving, and the hue reads cool. In interior projects it shines on walls, soft furniture, hard surfaces — as the project's quiet backbone. Reads best alongside white trim, natural wood, brass, soft black accents.

Color Codes

HEX#686A69

RGB104, 106, 105

HSL150°, 1%, 41%

HSV150°, 2%, 42%

CMYK2, 0, 1, 58

Decimal6842985

CSS RGBrgb(104, 106, 105)

CSS HSLhsl(150, 1%, 41%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Kilz

Sooty RM160

ΔE 0.9 · #6A6B6B

Benjamin Moore

Overcoat CC-544

ΔE 1.2 · #6A6968

Dulux

Teahouse SN4G6

ΔE 1.4 · #666966

Dunn-Edwards

Boat Anchor DE6377

ΔE 1.4 · #6C6B6A

Vista Paint

Polished Pewter C-1463

ΔE 1.7 · #646869

Hallman-Lindsay

Polished Pewter historic-polished-pewter

ΔE 2 · #636869

Behr

Magnet MQ2-61

ΔE 2 · #6D6F6E

Farrow & Ball

Down Pipe 26

ΔE 2.1 · #626664

Sherwin-Williams

Roycroft Pewter SW2848

ΔE 2.4 · #616564

IKEA

IKEA188 188

ΔE 2.5 · #646462

PPG

Up In Smoke 1010-6

ΔE 2.6 · #6E706D

Valspar

Ocean Storm 4004-2B

ΔE 2.9 · #6F716F

RAL

Mouse Grey 7005

ΔE 4.7 · #646B63

Dutch Boy

Ashton Grey VS-9303

ΔE 6.9 · #66665A

Colorhouse

Metal .05 Metal-05

ΔE 8.4 · #535654

Kobra

Green 37

ΔE 13.2 · #515545

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

14/100

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 MasstoneTeal UndertoneGreen

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#686A69

#6A6869

Analogous

#686A68

#686A69

#686A6A

Triadic

#686A69

#69686A

#6A6968

Split-Complementary

#686A69

#6A686A

#6A6868

Tetradic

#686A69

#68686A

#6A6869

#6A6A68

Monochromatic

#1C1C1C

#424342

#686A69

#8E908F

#B4B6B5

Rectangle

#686A69

#68696A

#6A6869

#6A6968

Compound

#686A69

#686A6A

#6A6869

#6A6868

Variations

Lighter

#858887

#A4A5A5

#CACBCA

Darker

#535554

#393A3A

#212221

Saturation

#686969

#686A69

#349D69

Interior Use

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms

Best Uses

walls, soft furniture, hard surfaces

Pairs With

white trim, natural wood, brass, soft black accents

Accessibility (WCAG)

vs White

5.45:1

vs Black

3.85:1

AA Large

Deuteranopia

#686A69

#69696A

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#686A69

#6A6A69

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#686A69

#686A6A

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Molten Lead 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

#8D7C6A

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#686A69

Daylight 5500K

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

#7B818E

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.

#6F4359

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: #686A69;

CSS — background

background-color: #686A69;

CSS Variable

--color-molten-lead: #686A69;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'molten-lead': '#686A69' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#686A69] text-[#686A69]

SCSS

$molten-lead: #686A69;

Similar Colors

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#696867 · ΔE 1.4

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#6A6967 · ΔE 1.4

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#646769 · ΔE 2.2

Arctic Seal

#6C6B6D · ΔE 2.3

Kitty Gray

#646B68 · ΔE 2.4

City Shadow

#626463 · ΔE 2.4

Gunmetal

#6A6F70 · ΔE 2.5

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#676662 · ΔE 2.6

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 #686A69?

#686A69 is Molten Lead, a mid-tone grey with a cool undertone.

Is #686A69 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Molten Lead?

Molten Lead works well in living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms. Designers typically use it for walls, soft furniture, hard surfaces.

What colors pair well with Molten Lead?

Molten Lead pairs naturally with white trim, natural wood, brass, soft black accents. Its complementary color is also a strong contrast option for accents.

Where can I download Molten Lead?

You can download Molten Lead 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 Molten Lead?

The hex code is #686A69. In RGB it's 104, 106, 105, and in HSL it's 150°, 1%, 41%.

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