Home › Sherwin-Williams › Gray › African Gray
African Gray SW 9162
On-screen approximation from the published RGB value. Order a physical sample before you decide.
Undertone: No measurable undertone (true neutral)
In CIELAB, African Gray sits at L* 62.5, a* -1.6, b* -1.2. Its hue angle is 216° and its chroma is 2.0, 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 31.0: mid-tone
Light Reflectance Value runs from 0 (absolute black) to 100 (perfect white). At 31.0, African Gray is lighter than 40% 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 African 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucker Gray | CW-705 | 0.94 | Practically identical | |
| Pewter | 2121-30 | 1.74 | Very close | |
| Sweatshirt Gray | 2126-40 | 2.14 | Close — difference visible side by side |
Closest Behr match to African 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Area | 770F-4 | 1.65 | Very close | |
| Pencil Sketch | N500-4 | 1.73 | Very close | |
| Flint Gray | PPU26-05 | 1.78 | Very close |
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadet | SW 9143 | 1.52 | Very close | |
| Steely Gray | SW 7664 | 1.70 | Very close | |
| Dustblu | SW 9161 | 2.34 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Earl Grey | SW 7660 | 2.80 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Tin Lizzie | SW 9163 | 3.02 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Gray Shingle | SW 7670 | 3.32 | 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.
- Bedrock SW 9563 · lighter, LRV 33.7
- Debonair SW 9139 · lighter, LRV 33.9
- Let it Rain SW 9152 · lighter, LRV 34.3
- Gris Morado SW 9156 · darker, LRV 26.2
- Dovetail SW 7018 · darker, LRV 25.8
- Classic French Gray SW 0077 · darker, LRV 24.2
Colors that go with African Gray
Sherwin-Williams's own coordinating colors for African Gray:
- Extra White SW 7006
- Salty Dog SW 9177
- Site White SW 7070
African Gray is too close to neutral (chroma 2.0) for hue-based pairings to be meaningful; pair it with any color that shares its lean, and use a crisper white for trim.
African Gray vs popular colors
- Evergreen Fog (Sherwin-Williams SW 9130, ΔE 7.0) is about as light, more yellow/warm, more green, more saturated.
- Dorian Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7017, ΔE 8.1) is lighter (LRV 38.7 vs 31.0), more yellow/warm, more red/pink, more saturated.
- Functional Gray (Sherwin-Williams SW 7024, ΔE 8.4) is lighter (LRV 37.0 vs 31.0), more yellow/warm, more red/pink, more saturated.