NEUTRALS

Explosive Grey

#C4C4C4

RGB 196, 196, 196 · HSL 0°, 0%, 77% · CMYK 0, 0, 0, 23

Explosive Grey is #C4C4C4 in HEX — rgb(196, 196, 196), hsl(0°, 0%, 77%), cmyk(0%, 0%, 0%, 23%).

Explosive Grey pulls into the light end of the neutrals spectrum — HSL 0°, 0%, 77%. 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#C4C4C4

RGB196, 196, 196

HSL0°, 0%, 77%

HSV0°, 0%, 77%

CMYK0, 0, 0, 23

Decimal12895428

CSS RGBrgb(196, 196, 196)

CSS HSLhsl(0, 0%, 77%)

Paint Matches — this color across 16 brands

RAL

Agate Grey 7038

ΔE 0.4 · #C3C3C3

Dunn-Edwards

Silver Polish DE6374

ΔE 0.7 · #C6C6C6

Behr

Silver Bullet N520-2

ΔE 0.7 · #C5C5C6

Dulux

Grey Calm SN4D2

ΔE 1.1 · #C7C4C4

Hallman-Lindsay

Paternoster 546

ΔE 1.2 · #C7C7C6

Vista Paint

Paternoster C-545

ΔE 1.3 · #C7C6C4

Benjamin Moore

Eternity AF-695

ΔE 1.6 · #BFC3C3

Sherwin-Williams

Lazy Gray SW6254

ΔE 2 · #BEC1C3

PPG

Whirlwind 1013-3

ΔE 2 · #BEC0C2

Valspar

Gravity 4005-1B

ΔE 2.2 · #C6C9CB

Kilz

White Gold RK190

ΔE 2.3 · #BEC4C3

Kobra

Silver 47

ΔE 3.6 · #CDCECD

Colorhouse

Air .07 Air-07

ΔE 3.8 · #CEC4C5

Dutch Boy

Laguna White 7411

ΔE 3.9 · #C8CDC9

Farrow & Ball

Calluna 270

ΔE 4 · #CCC8CE

IKEA

IKEA187 187

ΔE 4.3 · #BEBFB8

Light Reflectance & Undertone

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

55/100

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 MasstoneRed UndertonePink

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

Color Theory

Complementary

#C4C4C4

Analogous

#C4C4C4

Triadic

#C4C4C4

Split-Complementary

#C4C4C4

Tetradic

#C4C4C4

Monochromatic

#787878

#9E9E9E

#C4C4C4

#EBEBEB

#F2F2F2

Rectangle

#C4C4C4

Compound

#C4C4C4

Variations

Lighter

#D0D0D0

#DCDCDC

#EAEAEA

Darker

#9D9D9D

#6C6C6C

#3F3F3F

Saturation

#C4C4C4

#E2A7A7

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

1.74:1

Fail

vs Black

12.04:1

AAA

Deuteranopia

#C4C4C4

#C4C4C5

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#C4C4C4

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#C4C4C4

Original → Simulated

Color Psychology

Quiet · Versatile

Explosive 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

#D2C0AE

Warm Bulb 2700K

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

#C4C4C4

Daylight 5500K

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

#C0C5D2

Cool Bulb 6500K

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

Pairs With

#EBEBEB

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.

#91BDBD

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: #C4C4C4;

CSS — background

background-color: #C4C4C4;

CSS Variable

--color-explosive-grey: #C4C4C4;

Tailwind v3 — config

colors: { 'explosive-grey': '#C4C4C4' }

Tailwind — arbitrary

bg-[#C4C4C4] text-[#C4C4C4]

SCSS

$explosive-grey: #C4C4C4;

Similar Colors

Eternity

#BEC2C2 · ΔE 1.8

Seersucker Suit

#C3C7C5 · ΔE 2.0

Silver Lake

#C0C6C5 · ΔE 2.3

Metro Gray

#CACAC8 · ΔE 2.4

Silver Half Dollar

#C3C8CB · ΔE 2.6

Harbor Gray

#C7C7C2 · ΔE 2.8

Pelican Gray

#C6CBCC · ΔE 2.9

Through the Looking Glass

#C0BCBC · 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 #C4C4C4?

#C4C4C4 is Explosive Grey, a soft neutral with a cool undertone.

Is #C4C4C4 warm or cool?

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

What rooms work best with Explosive Grey?

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

What colors pair well with Explosive Grey?

Explosive 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 Explosive Grey?

You can download Explosive 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 Explosive Grey?

The hex code is #C4C4C4. In RGB it's 196, 196, 196, and in HSL it's 0°, 0%, 77%.

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