NEUTRALS

Blue

#B5BCBD

RGB 181, 188, 189 · HSL 187°, 6%, 73% · CMYK 4, 1, 0, 26

Blue is #B5BCBD in HEX — rgb(181, 188, 189), hsl(187°, 6%, 73%), cmyk(4%, 1%, 0%, 26%).

Blue pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 187°, 6%, 73%. 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#B5BCBD

RGB181, 188, 189

HSL187°, 6%, 73%

HSV187°, 4%, 74%

CMYK4, 1, 0, 26

Decimal11910333

CSS RGBrgb(181, 188, 189)

CSS HSLhsl(187, 6%, 73%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Benjamin Moore

Blue 1592

Exact match

Valspar

Autumn Fog 4007-1B

ΔE 1 · #B2BABC

Sherwin-Williams

Samovar Silver SW6233

ΔE 1 · #B8BEBE

Dunn-Edwards

Crestline DE6325

ΔE 1.1 · #B4BCBF

Hallman-Lindsay

Marseilles 525

ΔE 1.2 · #B7BBBB

Behr

French Silver PPU18-5

ΔE 1.3 · #B8BCBE

PPG

Maiden Mist 1039-2

ΔE 1.5 · #B9C0C0

Vista Paint

Marseilles C-524

ΔE 1.6 · #B6BAB9

Dulux

Silver Pony SG6C2

ΔE 1.8 · #B7BEC2

Kilz

Platinum Ring RK180

ΔE 2.2 · #BCC1C3

IKEA

IKEA164 164

ΔE 2.9 · #ABB7B9

Farrow & Ball

Parma Gray 27

ΔE 3.5 · #B2BFC5

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 4 · #C3C3C3

Colorhouse

Metal .03 Metal-03

ΔE 4.7 · #B5B8B1

Dutch Boy

Laguna White 7411

ΔE 6.8 · #C8CDC9

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 7.3 · #CDCECD

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

49/100

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 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

#B5BCBD

#BEB7B6

Analogous

#B6BEBB

#B5BCBD

#B6B9BE

Triadic

#B5BCBD

#BEB6BD

#BDBEB6

Split-Complementary

#B5BCBD

#BEB6B9

#BEBBB6

Tetradic

#B5BCBD

#BBB6BE

#BEB7B6

#B9BEB6

Monochromatic

#677374

#8D999A

#B5BCBD

#DFE2E2

#F1F3F3

Rectangle

#B5BCBD

#B7B6BE

#BEB7B6

#BDBEB6

Compound

#B5BCBD

#B6B9BE

#BEB7B6

#BEBBB6

Variations

Lighter

#C5CACB

#D4D7D8

#E6E8E8

Darker

#8E9A9C

#606C6D

#373F40

Saturation

#B9BBBB

#B6BDBE

#96D6DF

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

1.93:1

Fail

vs Black

10.89:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#B5BCBD

#B9BABE

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#B5BCBD

#BBBBBD

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#B5BCBD

#B5BCBC

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Blue 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

#C7BAA9

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#B5BCBD

Daylight 5500K

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

#B4BFCD

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EAEBEB

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.

#B68C86

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: #B5BCBD;

CSS — background

background-color: #B5BCBD;

CSS Variable

--color-blue: #B5BCBD;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'blue': '#B5BCBD' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#B5BCBD] text-[#B5BCBD]

SCSS

$blue: #B5BCBD;

Similar Colors

Blue Springs

#B4BBBC · ΔE 0.4

Thundercloud Gray

#B8BDC0 · ΔE 1.4

Winter Solstice

#B9BFBE · ΔE 1.6

Eternity

#BEC2C2 · ΔE 2.7

Gray Timber Wolf

#BAC1C6 · ΔE 2.9

Silent Night

#B0B4B7 · ΔE 3.1

Coventry Gray

#B8BAB6 · ΔE 3.3

Marina Gray

#ADB3B3 · ΔE 3.3

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 #B5BCBD?

#B5BCBD is Blue, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #B5BCBD warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Blue?

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

What colors pair well with Blue?

Blue 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 Blue?

You can download Blue 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 Blue?

The hex code is #B5BCBD. In RGB it's 181, 188, 189, and in HSL it's 187°, 6%, 73%.

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