NEUTRALS

Metal

#BABFBC

RGB 186, 191, 188 · HSL 144°, 4%, 74% · CMYK 3, 0, 2, 25

Metal is #BABFBC in HEX — rgb(186, 191, 188), hsl(144°, 4%, 74%), cmyk(3%, 0%, 2%, 25%).

Metal pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 144°, 4%, 74%. 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#BABFBC

RGB186, 191, 188

HSL144°, 4%, 74%

HSV144°, 3%, 75%

CMYK3, 0, 2, 25

Decimal12238780

CSS RGBrgb(186, 191, 188)

CSS HSLhsl(144, 4%, 74%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Dulux

Madigan SN4F2

ΔE 0.7 · #BBBFBD

Benjamin Moore

Winter 1605

ΔE 1.2 · #BAC0BF

Kilz

Streamlined Silver RK200

ΔE 1.2 · #BBBDBA

PPG

Solstice 1010-3

ΔE 1.4 · #BABDB8

Vista Paint

Prairie Smoke K-813

ΔE 1.4 · #BABDBC

Dunn-Edwards

Haze Blue DE6311

ΔE 1.5 · #B7C0BE

Sherwin-Williams

Monorail Silver SW7663

ΔE 1.5 · #B8BCBB

Valspar

Smoke Infusion 5002-1B

ΔE 1.8 · #B4BCB8

Hallman-Lindsay

Ice Flow 448

ΔE 2.1 · #BDC3BD

Behr

Gull Gray QE-50

ΔE 2.1 · #BFBFBA

IKEA

IKEA181 181

ΔE 2.4 · #B2BCB8

Farrow & Ball

Light Blue 22

ΔE 2.5 · #B8BCB5

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 3.1 · #C3C3C3

Colorhouse

Metal .03 Metal-03

ΔE 3.4 · #B5B8B1

Dutch Boy

Laguna White 7411

ΔE 5.1 · #C8CDC9

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 6.1 · #CDCECD

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

51/100

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 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

#BABFBC

#BFBABD

Analogous

#BBBFBA

#BABFBC

#BABFBF

Triadic

#BABFBC

#BCBABF

#BFBCBA

Split-Complementary

#BABFBC

#BFBABF

#BFBABB

Tetradic

#BABFBC

#BABBBF

#BFBABD

#BFBFBA

Monochromatic

#6C756F

#929B96

#BABFBC

#E2E4E3

#F2F3F2

Rectangle

#BABFBC

#BABDBF

#BFBABD

#BFBCBA

Compound

#BABFBC

#BABFBF

#BFBABD

#BFBABB

Variations

Lighter

#C8CCCA

#D6D9D7

#E7E8E8

Darker

#939B96

#636C67

#3A3F3C

Saturation

#BCBDBD

#BABFBC

#9ADFB6

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

1.86:1

Fail

vs Black

11.27:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#BABFBC

#BDBDBD

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#BABFBC

#BEBEBC

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#BABFBC

#BABEBF

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Metal 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

#CBBCA8

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#BABFBC

Daylight 5500K

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

#B8C1CC

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.

#B889A5

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: #BABFBC;

CSS — background

background-color: #BABFBC;

CSS Variable

--color-metal: #BABFBC;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'metal': '#BABFBC' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#BABFBC] text-[#BABFBC]

SCSS

$metal: #BABFBC;

Similar Colors

Winter Solstice

#B9BFBE · ΔE 1.1

Metropolitan

#BABDB8 · ΔE 1.4

Half Moon Crest

#BBBEB8 · ΔE 1.8

Coventry Gray

#B8BAB6 · ΔE 2.0

Eternity

#BEC2C2 · ΔE 2.1

Beach Glass

#B3BEB9 · ΔE 2.6

Blue Springs

#B4BBBC · ΔE 2.7

Silver Lake

#C0C6C5 · ΔE 2.8

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 #BABFBC?

#BABFBC is Metal, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #BABFBC warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Metal?

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

What colors pair well with Metal?

Metal 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 Metal?

You can download Metal 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 Metal?

The hex code is #BABFBC. In RGB it's 186, 191, 188, and in HSL it's 144°, 4%, 74%.

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