NEUTRALS

Gray

#BABCB2

RGB 186, 188, 178 · HSL 72°, 7%, 72% · CMYK 1, 0, 5, 26

Gray is #BABCB2 in HEX — rgb(186, 188, 178), hsl(72°, 7%, 72%), cmyk(1%, 0%, 5%, 26%).

Gray pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 72°, 7%, 72%. 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#BABCB2

RGB186, 188, 178

HSL72°, 7%, 72%

HSV72°, 5%, 74%

CMYK1, 0, 5, 26

Decimal12238002

CSS RGBrgb(186, 188, 178)

CSS HSLhsl(72, 7%, 72%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Benjamin Moore

Gray 2140-50

Exact match

Vista Paint

Hi Ho Silver K-845

ΔE 0.9 · #B9BAB1

Behr

Nightingale Gray N200-3

ΔE 1.6 · #B7B8AD

Farrow & Ball

Light Blue 22

ΔE 1.8 · #B8BCB5

Hallman-Lindsay

Fossilized 581

ΔE 1.8 · #B6B8B0

Dulux

Narrow Neck NZ9E7

ΔE 1.9 · #BDBBB3

Kilz

Patio Gray TB-64

ΔE 1.9 · #B6BDB3

Valspar

Nuance 5005-3C

ΔE 1.9 · #B6BDB3

Sherwin-Williams

Austere Gray SW6184

ΔE 2 · #BEBFB2

IKEA

IKEA187 187

ΔE 2.1 · #BEBFB8

Colorhouse

Metal .03 Metal-03

ΔE 2.2 · #B5B8B1

PPG

Hurricane Haze 1032-2

ΔE 2.6 · #BDBBAD

Dunn-Edwards

Play on Gray DE6228

ΔE 3.3 · #BAB6A9

Dutch Boy

Drifting Sand DCP-0218

ΔE 3.9 · #B6B2A9

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 6.2 · #C3C3C3

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 8.4 · #CDCECD

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

50/100

Light

0 · DarkLight · 100

Reflects plenty of light and keeps spaces feeling open and airy while still showing clear colour. A safe, flexible choice for living areas.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneYellow-Green UndertoneYellow

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#BABCB2

#B5B3BD

Analogous

#BDBAB3

#BABCB2

#B6BDB3

Triadic

#BABCB2

#B3BBBD

#BDB3BB

Split-Complementary

#BABCB2

#B3B6BD

#BAB3BD

Tetradic

#BABCB2

#B3BDBA

#B5B3BD

#BDB3B6

Monochromatic

#707364

#96998A

#BABCB2

#DFE0DC

#F3F3F1

Rectangle

#BABCB2

#B3BDB5

#B5B3BD

#BDB3BB

Compound

#BABCB2

#B6BDB3

#B5B3BD

#BAB3BD

Variations

Lighter

#C8CAC2

#D6D7D2

#E7E7E5

Darker

#989B8B

#6A6D5D

#3E3F36

Saturation

#B8B9B6

#BBBDB3

#CFDE91

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

1.92:1

Fail

vs Black

10.92:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#BABCB2

#BDBAB3

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#BABCB2

#BCBCB3

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#BABCB2

#BBBABB

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Gray 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

#CBBAA1

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#BABCB2

Daylight 5500K

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

#B8BFC5

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.

#8D83B5

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: #BABCB2;

CSS — background

background-color: #BABCB2;

CSS Variable

--color-gray: #BABCB2;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'gray': '#BABCB2' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#BABCB2] text-[#BABCB2]

SCSS

$gray: #BABCB2;

Similar Colors

Gray Horse

#B9BBB1 · ΔE 0.4

Bone Black

#B9B8AE · ΔE 1.7

Half Moon Crest

#BBBEB8 · ΔE 2.3

Sea Haze

#B3B5AB · ΔE 2.6

Silver Song

#C2C3B9 · ΔE 2.7

Metropolitan

#BABDB8 · ΔE 2.7

Thunder

#BDB8AD · ΔE 2.9

Winterwood

#C1BFB1 · ΔE 2.9

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 #BABCB2?

#BABCB2 is Gray, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #BABCB2 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Gray?

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

What colors pair well with Gray?

Gray 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 Gray?

You can download Gray 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 Gray?

The hex code is #BABCB2. In RGB it's 186, 188, 178, and in HSL it's 72°, 7%, 72%.

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