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Steel Wool 2121-20
On-screen approximation from the published RGB value. Order a physical sample before you decide.
Undertone: No measurable undertone (true neutral)
In CIELAB, Steel Wool sits at L* 51.4, a* -0.7, b* -1.5. Its hue angle is 244° and its chroma is 1.6, so it has essentially no color cast — a true neutral that will pick up the color of the light and surroundings. It classifies as neutral. Among Benjamin Moore colors with a similar LRV (±5), it is warmer (more yellow) than 21%.
LRV 20.7: dark
Light Reflectance Value runs from 0 (absolute black) to 100 (perfect white). At 20.7, Steel Wool is lighter than 21% of Benjamin Moore colors. Absorbs most light. Good for accent walls, cabinets, doors and exteriors; needs good lighting indoors.
Closest Sherwin-Williams match to Steel Wool
Ranked by CIEDE2000 color difference (ΔE) computed from published RGB values. Below 2 is hard to tell apart on the wall; above 4 is a different color.
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before the Storm | SW 9564 | 1.67 | Very close | |
| Westchester Gray | SW 2849 | 2.20 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Scattered Showers | SW 9559 | 3.07 | Close — difference visible side by side |
Closest Behr match to Steel Wool
Ranked by CIEDE2000 color difference (ΔE) computed from published RGB values. Below 2 is hard to tell apart on the wall; above 4 is a different color. Behr does not publish LRV, so Behr values here are estimates.
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid Mercury | N510-5 | 2.23 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Game Over | T12-10 | 2.56 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Stormy Gray | BXC-58 | 2.77 | Close — difference visible side by side |
Similar Benjamin Moore colors
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charcoal Linen | 2133-40 | 2.39 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Lampblack | CW-695 | 2.56 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Smoke Gray | 2120-40 | 2.73 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Shark Gray | 2134-40 | 2.74 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Rock Gray | 1615 | 3.08 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Silver Streak | 2119-40 | 3.19 | Close — difference visible side by side |
Lighter and darker versions
Colors from Benjamin Moore with nearly the same hue and saturation, one step lighter or darker.
- Lampblack CW-695 · lighter, LRV 23.2
- Apollo Blue CW-645 · lighter, LRV 23.7
- Stone 2112-40 · lighter, LRV 23.6
- Amherst Gray HC-167 · darker, LRV 18.8
- Gray Gardens CSP-55 · darker, LRV 18.7
- Gray Mountain 1462 · darker, LRV 18.5
Colors that go with Steel Wool
Steel Wool is too close to neutral (chroma 1.6) for hue-based pairings to be meaningful; pair it with any color that shares its lean, and use a crisper white for trim.
Steel Wool vs popular colors
- Amherst Gray (Benjamin Moore HC-167, ΔE 5.0) is darker (LRV 18.8 vs 20.7), more yellow/warm.
- Gauntlet Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7019, ΔE 5.9) is darker (LRV 17.4 vs 20.7), more yellow/warm, more red/pink.
- Aegean Teal (Benjamin Moore 2136-40, ΔE 9.9) is lighter (LRV 25.1 vs 20.7), more blue/cool, more green, more saturated.