NEUTRALS

Imperial

#B1BAB3

RGB 177, 186, 179 · HSL 133°, 6%, 71% · CMYK 5, 0, 4, 27

Imperial is #B1BAB3 in HEX — rgb(177, 186, 179), hsl(133°, 6%, 71%), cmyk(5%, 0%, 4%, 27%).

Imperial pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 133°, 6%, 71%. 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#B1BAB3

RGB177, 186, 179

HSL133°, 6%, 71%

HSV133°, 5%, 73%

CMYK5, 0, 4, 27

Decimal11647667

CSS RGBrgb(177, 186, 179)

CSS HSLhsl(133, 6%, 71%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Benjamin Moore

Imperial 1571

Exact match

Behr

Verdigris PPU12-14

ΔE 0.8 · #B0B8B1

Sherwin-Williams

Silvermist SW7621

ΔE 0.9 · #B0B8B2

Hallman-Lindsay

Ocean Cruise 477

ΔE 1.5 · #ACB8B2

Dulux

Gamelan SG5E2

ΔE 1.8 · #AFB6B1

IKEA

IKEA181 181

ΔE 1.8 · #B2BCB8

Valspar

Smoke Infusion 5002-1B

ΔE 1.9 · #B4BCB8

Vista Paint

Ocean Cruise C-476

ΔE 2.1 · #AAB5AE

Kilz

Patio Gray TB-64

ΔE 2.1 · #B6BDB3

Colorhouse

Metal .03 Metal-03

ΔE 2.2 · #B5B8B1

Farrow & Ball

Light Blue 22

ΔE 2.2 · #B8BCB5

PPG

Solstice 1010-3

ΔE 3 · #BABDB8

Dunn-Edwards

Haze Blue DE6311

ΔE 3.6 · #B7C0BE

Dutch Boy

Fair Maiden DCP-0456

ΔE 4 · #B3C3B9

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 6.6 · #C3C3C3

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 9.2 · #CDCECD

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

48/100

Medium

0 · DarkLight · 100

Balanced reflectance — holds colour without washing out. Versatile for most rooms and the most forgiving range for true-to-chip results.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneGreen UndertoneBlue

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#B1BAB3

#B9B1B8

Analogous

#B3B9B1

#B1BAB3

#B1B9B7

Triadic

#B1BAB3

#B3B1B9

#B9B3B1

Split-Complementary

#B1BAB3

#B7B1B9

#B9B1B3

Tetradic

#B1BAB3

#B1B3B9

#B9B1B8

#B9B7B1

Monochromatic

#626F65

#88968B

#B1BAB3

#D9DDDA

#F1F3F2

Rectangle

#B1BAB3

#B1B8B9

#B9B1B8

#B9B3B1

Compound

#B1BAB3

#B1B9B7

#B9B1B8

#B9B1B3

Variations

Lighter

#C0C7C2

#D0D5D1

#E4E6E5

Darker

#8A988D

#5D6A60

#363E38

Saturation

#B4B6B4

#B1B9B3

#8EDC9F

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

1.99:1

Fail

vs Black

10.54:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#B1BAB3

#B7B6B4

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#B1BAB3

#B9B9B4

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#B1BAB3

#B2B9B9

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Imperial 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

#C4B8A1

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#B1BAB3

Daylight 5500K

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

#B1BDC6

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

Pairs With

#EAEBEA

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.

#B381A8

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 · Trim · Soft furniture

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: #B1BAB3;

CSS — background

background-color: #B1BAB3;

CSS Variable

--color-imperial: #B1BAB3;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'imperial': '#B1BAB3' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#B1BAB3] text-[#B1BAB3]

SCSS

$imperial: #B1BAB3;

Similar Colors

Imperial Gray

#B0B9B2 · ΔE 0.4

Iced Marble

#B0B9B3 · ΔE 0.6

Misted Green

#B0B8AE · ΔE 1.8

Beach Glass

#B3BEB9 · ΔE 1.9

Metropolitan

#BABDB8 · ΔE 3.0

Half Moon Crest

#BBBEB8 · ΔE 3.0

Coventry Gray

#B8BAB6 · ΔE 3.1

Gray Horse

#B9BBB1 · ΔE 3.1

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 #B1BAB3?

#B1BAB3 is Imperial, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #B1BAB3 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Imperial?

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

What colors pair well with Imperial?

Imperial 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 Imperial?

You can download Imperial 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 Imperial?

The hex code is #B1BAB3. In RGB it's 177, 186, 179, and in HSL it's 133°, 6%, 71%.

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