NEUTRALS

Simple Grey

#BABAAD

RGB 186, 186, 173 · HSL 60°, 9%, 70% · CMYK 0, 0, 7, 27

Simple Grey is #BABAAD in HEX — rgb(186, 186, 173), hsl(60°, 9%, 70%), cmyk(0%, 0%, 7%, 27%).

Simple Grey pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 60°, 9%, 70%. 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#BABAAD

RGB186, 186, 173

HSL60°, 9%, 70%

HSV60°, 7%, 73%

CMYK0, 0, 7, 27

Decimal12237485

CSS RGBrgb(186, 186, 173)

CSS HSLhsl(60, 9%, 70%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dulux

Grey Jade S19A2

ΔE 0.9 · #B9BBAD

Behr

Barista N210-3

ΔE 1.1 · #BAB8AC

PPG

Hurricane Haze 1032-2

ΔE 1.1 · #BDBBAD

Benjamin Moore

Bone CW-715

ΔE 1.7 · #BAB9AF

Sherwin-Williams

Austere Gray SW6184

ΔE 1.8 · #BEBFB2

Valspar

Sandy Sage 5008-1C

ΔE 1.9 · #BDB9AA

Dunn-Edwards

Play on Gray DE6228

ΔE 1.9 · #BAB6A9

IKEA

IKEA179 179

ΔE 2 · #B6BBAD

Hallman-Lindsay

Chintz 573

ΔE 2.1 · #C0BBAE

Vista Paint

Hi Ho Silver K-845

ΔE 2.2 · #B9BAB1

Kilz

Urban Gateway LK110

ΔE 3 · #BCB5A9

Farrow & Ball

Mizzle 266

ΔE 3 · #C0C2B3

Colorhouse

Metal .03 Metal-03

ΔE 3.5 · #B5B8B1

Dutch Boy

Drifting Sand DCP-0218

ΔE 3.6 · #B6B2A9

RAL

Silk Grey 7044

ΔE 5.9 · #CAC4B0

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 9.9 · #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

TemperatureWarm MasstoneYellow UndertoneGreen

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#BABAAD

#ACACB9

Analogous

#B9B3AC

#BABAAD

#B3B9AC

Triadic

#BABAAD

#ACB9B9

#B9ACB9

Split-Complementary

#BABAAD

#ACB3B9

#B3ACB9

Tetradic

#BABAAD

#ACB9B3

#ACACB9

#B9ACB3

Monochromatic

#6F6F5D

#979782

#BABAAD

#DCDCD5

#F3F3F1

Rectangle

#BABAAD

#ACB9AC

#ACACB9

#B9ACB9

Compound

#BABAAD

#B3B9AC

#ACACB9

#B3ACB9

Variations

Lighter

#C7C7BC

#D5D5CE

#E6E6E3

Darker

#999984

#6C6C58

#3F3F33

Saturation

#B5B5B0

#B9B9AC

#DCDC89

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

1.96:1

Fail

vs Black

10.71:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#BABAAD

#BCB9AE

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#BABAAD

#BABAAF

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#BABAAD

#BBB8B9

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Simple 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

#CBB89D

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#BABAAD

Daylight 5500K

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

#B8BDC1

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEA

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.

#7E7EB2

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: #BABAAD;

CSS — background

background-color: #BABAAD;

CSS Variable

--color-simple-grey: #BABAAD;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'simple-grey': '#BABAAD' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#BABAAD] text-[#BABAAD]

SCSS

$simple-grey: #BABAAD;

Similar Colors

Bone Black

#B9B8AE · ΔE 1.7

Gray Horse

#B9BBB1 · ΔE 1.8

Winterwood

#C1BFB1 · ΔE 2.2

Cosmopolitan

#BBB6A9 · ΔE 2.2

Thunder

#BDB8AD · ΔE 2.2

Horizon Gray

#BFC0B1 · ΔE 2.3

Northern Cliffs

#BAB5A7 · ΔE 2.5

Sea Haze

#B3B5AB · 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 #BABAAD?

#BABAAD is Simple Grey, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #BABAAD warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Simple Grey?

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

What colors pair well with Simple Grey?

Simple 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 Simple Grey?

You can download Simple 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 Simple Grey?

The hex code is #BABAAD. In RGB it's 186, 186, 173, and in HSL it's 60°, 9%, 70%.

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