NEUTRALS

Neutral

#BDB2BA

RGB 189, 178, 186 · HSL 316°, 8%, 72% · CMYK 0, 6, 2, 26

Neutral is #BDB2BA in HEX — rgb(189, 178, 186), hsl(316°, 8%, 72%), cmyk(0%, 6%, 2%, 26%).

Neutral pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 316°, 8%, 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#BDB2BA

RGB189, 178, 186

HSL316°, 8%, 72%

HSV316°, 6%, 74%

CMYK0, 6, 2, 26

Decimal12432058

CSS RGBrgb(189, 178, 186)

CSS HSLhsl(316, 8%, 72%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

Vista Paint

Apple Blossom Time K-756

ΔE 1.3 · #C1B4BD

Hallman-Lindsay

Heather Hill 1302

ΔE 1.8 · #BBB0BB

Dulux

Inner Touch S45C2

ΔE 1.9 · #BBAFBA

Behr

Moonlit Mauve N130-3

ΔE 2.2 · #C2B6BB

Valspar

Livid Violet 4002-3C

ΔE 2.6 · #B8B0BC

Sherwin-Williams

Veiled Violet SW6268

ΔE 2.6 · #BDB5B9

PPG

Ash Grove 1172-4

ΔE 2.8 · #B9B3BF

Benjamin Moore

Sanctuary AF-620

ΔE 3.2 · #B5AAB0

Dunn-Edwards

Antique Mauve DE6395

ΔE 3.9 · #BBB0B1

Kilz

Natural Echo LA250-01

ΔE 5.6 · #B9B0AE

IKEA

IKEA133 133

ΔE 6.8 · #C2ADAB

Dutch Boy

Dusky Mood DCP-1318

ΔE 7.4 · #A6ACB8

Colorhouse

Air .07 Air-07

ΔE 7.4 · #CEC4C5

Farrow & Ball

Dove Tale 267

ΔE 7.6 · #BBB1AB

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 7.9 · #C3C3C3

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 11.2 · #CDCECD

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

46/100

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 MasstonePink UndertoneRed

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#BDB2BA

#B2BDB5

Analogous

#BBB2BD

#BDB2BA

#BDB2B5

Triadic

#BDB2BA

#BABDB2

#B2BABD

Split-Complementary

#BDB2BA

#B5BDB2

#B2BDBB

Tetradic

#BDB2BA

#BDBBB2

#B2BDB5

#B2B5BD

Monochromatic

#74636F

#9A8995

#BDB2BA

#E1DBDF

#F3F1F3

Rectangle

#BDB2BA

#BDB5B2

#B2BDB5

#B2BABD

Compound

#BDB2BA

#BDB2B5

#B2BDB5

#B2BDBB

Variations

Lighter

#CAC1C8

#D7D1D6

#E7E5E7

Darker

#9C8A97

#6E5C69

#40353D

Saturation

#B9B6B8

#BDB2BA

#DE91CA

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

2.05:1

Fail

vs Black

10.24:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#BDB2BA

#B6B7BB

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#BDB2BA

#B4B4B9

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#BDB2BA

#BCB4B3

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Neutral 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

#CDB2A7

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#BDB2BA

Daylight 5500K

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

#BAB7CB

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEAEB

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.

#83B591

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: #BDB2BA;

CSS — background

background-color: #BDB2BA;

CSS Variable

--color-neutral: #BDB2BA;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'neutral': '#BDB2BA' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#BDB2BA] text-[#BDB2BA]

SCSS

$neutral: #BDB2BA;

Similar Colors

Violetta

#C4B7BB · ΔE 3.0

African Violet

#C1B9C4 · ΔE 3.1

After the Rain

#C1B9BD · ΔE 3.3

Victorian Mauve

#C2B5B7 · ΔE 3.5

Sanctuary

#B4A9AF · ΔE 3.5

Iced Mauve

#C4BBC0 · ΔE 3.5

Piano Concerto

#C4BCC0 · ΔE 4.1

Pebble Creek

#AFA8AE · ΔE 4.5

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 #BDB2BA?

#BDB2BA is Neutral, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #BDB2BA warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Neutral?

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

What colors pair well with Neutral?

Neutral 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 Neutral?

You can download Neutral 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 Neutral?

The hex code is #BDB2BA. In RGB it's 189, 178, 186, and in HSL it's 316°, 8%, 72%.

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