NEUTRALS

Brainstem Grey

#B5B5B5

RGB 181, 181, 181 · HSL 0°, 0%, 71% · CMYK 0, 0, 0, 29

Brainstem Grey is #B5B5B5 in HEX — rgb(181, 181, 181), hsl(0°, 0%, 71%), cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 29%).

Brainstem Grey pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 0°, 0%, 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#B5B5B5

RGB181, 181, 181

HSL0°, 0%, 71%

HSV0°, 0%, 71%

CMYK0, 0, 0, 29

Decimal11908533

CSS RGBrgb(181, 181, 181)

CSS HSLhsl(0, 0%, 71%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dulux

Miner Grey SN4D4

ΔE 1.1 · #B7B4B4

Benjamin Moore

Nightingale AF-670

ΔE 1.3 · #B7B5B3

Kilz

Hippopotamus Gray RL100

ΔE 1.4 · #B2B3B5

Behr

Metropolis N140-3

ΔE 1.5 · #B0B2B2

Vista Paint

Rand Moon C-531

ΔE 1.6 · #B6B6B3

Dunn-Edwards

Silver Bullet DE6381

ΔE 1.7 · #B6B5B8

Hallman-Lindsay

Rand Moon 532

ΔE 1.7 · #B7B7B4

Valspar

Polished Silver 4008-1B

ΔE 1.8 · #B4B8B7

PPG

Silver Bells 1003-3

ΔE 1.9 · #B8B4B6

Sherwin-Williams

Online SW7072

ΔE 1.9 · #B0B5B5

Colorhouse

Metal .03 Metal-03

ΔE 4 · #B5B8B1

IKEA

IKEA164 164

ΔE 4.5 · #ABB7B9

Farrow & Ball

Light Blue 22

ΔE 4.6 · #B8BCB5

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 5.1 · #C3C3C3

Dutch Boy

Drifting Sand DCP-0218

ΔE 5.2 · #B6B2A9

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 9 · #CDCECD

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

46/100

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 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

#B5B5B5

Analogous

#B5B5B5

Triadic

#B5B5B5

Split-Complementary

#B5B5B5

Tetradic

#B5B5B5

Monochromatic

#696969

#8F8F8F

#B5B5B5

#DBDBDB

#F2F2F2

Rectangle

#B5B5B5

Compound

#B5B5B5

Variations

Lighter

#C4C4C4

#D3D3D3

#E5E5E5

Darker

#919191

#646464

#3A3A3A

Saturation

#B5B5B5

#DA9090

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

2.05:1

Fail

vs Black

10.24:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#B5B5B5

#B5B5B6

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#B5B5B5

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#B5B5B5

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Brainstem Grey 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

#C7B4A3

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#B5B5B5

Daylight 5500K

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

#B4B9C7

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.

#81B3B3

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: #B5B5B5;

CSS — background

background-color: #B5B5B5;

CSS Variable

--color-brainstem-grey: #B5B5B5;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'brainstem-grey': '#B5B5B5' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#B5B5B5] text-[#B5B5B5]

SCSS

$brainstem-grey: #B5B5B5;

Similar Colors

Nightingale

#B6B4B2 · ΔE 1.3

Silver Dollar

#B3B1B0 · ΔE 1.6

Silent Night

#B0B4B7 · ΔE 2.3

San Antonio Gray

#B4B2AE · ΔE 2.5

Marina Gray

#ADB3B3 · ΔE 2.5

Coventry Gray

#B8BAB6 · ΔE 2.8

Blue Springs

#B4BBBC · ΔE 3.1

Through the Looking Glass

#C0BCBC · ΔE 3.2

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 #B5B5B5?

#B5B5B5 is Brainstem Grey, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #B5B5B5 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Brainstem Grey?

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

What colors pair well with Brainstem Grey?

Brainstem Grey 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 Brainstem Grey?

You can download Brainstem Grey 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 Brainstem Grey?

The hex code is #B5B5B5. In RGB it's 181, 181, 181, and in HSL it's 0°, 0%, 71%.

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