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Essential Gray SW 6002
On-screen approximation from the published RGB value. Order a physical sample before you decide.
Undertone: No measurable undertone (true neutral)
In CIELAB, Essential Gray sits at L* 75.0, a* 1.0, b* 1.5. Its hue angle is 55° and its chroma is 1.8, 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 Sherwin-Williams colors with a similar LRV (±5), it is warmer (more yellow) than 23%.
LRV 48.4: mid-tone
Light Reflectance Value runs from 0 (absolute black) to 100 (perfect white). At 48.4, Essential Gray is lighter than 60% of Sherwin-Williams colors. Reads clearly as a color. Best in rooms with good natural light, or as an accent wall; small dark rooms may feel smaller.
Closest Benjamin Moore match to Essential Gray
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Through the Looking Glass | CSP-495 | 1.57 | Very close | |
| Nightingale | AF-670 | 1.58 | Very close | |
| Silver Dollar | 1460 | 2.25 | Close — difference visible side by side |
Closest Behr match to Essential Gray
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grape Creme | PPU16-11 | 1.35 | Very close | |
| Grape Crème | UL250-10 | 1.35 | Very close | |
| Porpoise | 790E-3 | 1.80 | Very close |
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fashionable Gray | SW 6275 | 1.34 | Very close | |
| Ponder | SW 7079 | 1.72 | Very close | |
| March Wind | SW 7668 | 1.83 | Very close | |
| Queen Anne Lilac | SW 0021 | 2.87 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Light French Gray | SW 0055 | 2.92 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Gray Clouds | SW 7658 | 3.08 | Close — difference visible side by side |
Lighter and darker versions
Colors from Sherwin-Williams with nearly the same hue and saturation, one step lighter or darker.
- Krypton SW 6247 · lighter, LRV 51.9
- Skyline Steel SW 1015 · lighter, LRV 52.3
- Silverplate SW 7649 · lighter, LRV 52.6
- Requisite Gray SW 7023 · darker, LRV 44.9
- Swanky Gray SW 6261 · darker, LRV 44.7
- Allegory SW 9553 · darker, LRV 44.6
Colors that go with Essential Gray
Sherwin-Williams's own coordinating colors for Essential Gray:
- Gossamer Veil SW 9165
- Dress Blues SW 9176
- Snowfall SW 6000
Essential Gray is too close to neutral (chroma 1.8) for hue-based pairings to be meaningful; pair it with any color that shares its lean, and use a crisper white for trim.
Essential Gray vs popular colors
- Coventry Gray (Benjamin Moore HC-169, ΔE 3.6) is about as light, more green.
- Mindful Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7016, ΔE 4.0) is about as light, more yellow/warm, more green, more saturated.
- Colonnade Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7641, ΔE 4.4) is lighter (LRV 53.0 vs 48.4), more yellow/warm, more saturated.