NEUTRALS

Metropolitan

#BBBEB9

RGB 187, 190, 185 · HSL 96°, 4%, 74% · CMYK 2, 0, 3, 25

Metropolitan is #BBBEB9 in HEX — rgb(187, 190, 185), hsl(96°, 4%, 74%), cmyk(2%, 0%, 3%, 25%).

Metropolitan pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 96°, 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#BBBEB9

RGB187, 190, 185

HSL96°, 4%, 74%

HSV96°, 3%, 75%

CMYK2, 0, 3, 25

Decimal12304057

CSS RGBrgb(187, 190, 185)

CSS HSLhsl(96, 4%, 74%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Benjamin Moore

Metropolitan AF-690

Exact match

PPG

Solstice 1010-3

ΔE 0.4 · #BABDB8

Dulux

Lyttelton NZ9B3

ΔE 0.9 · #BEBFBA

Valspar

Granite Dust 5006-1C

ΔE 0.9 · #BABCB6

Kilz

International Gray RK210

ΔE 1.1 · #BABEB7

Sherwin-Williams

Argos SW7065

ΔE 1.2 · #BDBDB7

Behr

Gull Gray QE-50

ΔE 1.3 · #BFBFBA

Farrow & Ball

Light Blue 22

ΔE 1.4 · #B8BCB5

IKEA

IKEA187 187

ΔE 1.4 · #BEBFB8

Vista Paint

Ice Flow C-447

ΔE 1.6 · #BDC2BC

Hallman-Lindsay

Ice Flow 448

ΔE 2 · #BDC3BD

Dunn-Edwards

Gray Pearl DEC795

ΔE 2.5 · #C3C0BB

Colorhouse

Metal .03 Metal-03

ΔE 2.5 · #B5B8B1

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 3.6 · #C3C3C3

Dutch Boy

Drifting Sand DCP-0218

ΔE 5.2 · #B6B2A9

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 6.5 · #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 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

#BBBEB9

#BDBABF

Analogous

#BFBFBA

#BBBEB9

#BABFBB

Triadic

#BBBEB9

#BABCBF

#BFBABC

Split-Complementary

#BBBEB9

#BBBABF

#BFBABF

Tetradic

#BBBEB9

#BABFBF

#BDBABF

#BFBBBA

Monochromatic

#6F756C

#969B92

#BBBEB9

#E3E4E2

#F2F3F2

Rectangle

#BBBEB9

#BABFBD

#BDBABF

#BFBABC

Compound

#BBBEB9

#BABFBB

#BDBABF

#BFBABF

Variations

Lighter

#CACCC8

#D7D9D6

#E8E8E7

Darker

#969B93

#676C63

#3C3F3A

Saturation

#BDBDBC

#BCBFBA

#B6DF9A

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

1.88:1

Fail

vs Black

11.18:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#BBBEB9

#BDBDBA

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#BBBEB9

#BDBDBA

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#BBBEB9

#BBBDBE

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Metropolitan 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

#CCBBA6

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#BBBEB9

Daylight 5500K

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

#B9C0CA

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.

#A589B8

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: #BBBEB9;

CSS — background

background-color: #BBBEB9;

CSS Variable

--color-metropolitan: #BBBEB9;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'metropolitan': '#BBBEB9' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#BBBEB9] text-[#BBBEB9]

SCSS

$metropolitan: #BBBEB9;

Similar Colors

Metropolitan

#BABDB8 · ΔE 0.4

Half Moon Crest

#BBBEB8 · ΔE 0.5

Coventry Gray

#B8BAB6 · ΔE 1.5

Smoke Embers

#C1BFBA · ΔE 2.0

Winter Solstice

#B9BFBE · ΔE 2.4

Picnic Basket

#BBC3BB · ΔE 2.8

Gray Horse

#B9BBB1 · ΔE 2.9

Beach Glass

#B3BEB9 · ΔE 3.0

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 #BBBEB9?

#BBBEB9 is Metropolitan, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #BBBEB9 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Metropolitan?

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

What colors pair well with Metropolitan?

Metropolitan 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 Metropolitan?

You can download Metropolitan 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 Metropolitan?

The hex code is #BBBEB9. In RGB it's 187, 190, 185, and in HSL it's 96°, 4%, 74%.

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