Every gray paint at Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Behr, in one list: the colors Benjamin Moore files as gray, from the palest to charcoal. Pick the brand, a warm or cool undertone, light, medium or deep and which way your room faces, and see the grays that fit, each with its LRV.
Grays that fit
The lightest gray: Behr BWC-19 Queen Anne's Lace, LRV 83 (ours). 1020 grays fit.
Tap a color to choose it. LRV is how much light a color reflects (0 black, 100 a perfect white): the brand's own printed LRV where we read it, else ours, worked out from the brand's digital color. A screen shows that digital version, so check a real chip in your room's light before you buy. We are not connected to any of these brands.
Quick answer: Benjamin Moore’s favorite grays include Coventry Gray HC-169 (LRV 48.18), Gray Owl OC-52 (64.51) and Stonington Gray HC-170 (59.36). For a light gray, choose Light: 272 of the 1020 grays of the three brands are. Warm grays suit a north-facing room; cool grays lean blue or green.
How to use the gray paint finder
- Pick a brand, or keep all three.
- Pick an undertone. Choose warm (the greiges), cool (blue or green leaning), blue, green, or barely any undertone.
- Pick how light: Light, Medium or Deep, by Benjamin Moore’s own Light, Medium and Dark tags (every color it tags Dark has a printed LRV of 21.96 or less, every Light one 57.09 or more).
- Say which way the room faces. North leaves out the cool undertones; south keeps them all.
- Tap a gray to choose it, then see it on a wall in the room paint visualizer, or find its closest twins at the other two brands.
What counts as a gray
The finder uses Benjamin Moore’s own filing. Its color service tags every color with a family, and the finder takes every color it files in its Gray family, plus the grays its gray pages name (Annapolis Gray HC-176, which it tags as brown, among them). In Benjamin Moore’s words: Gray, the ultimate neutral, ranges from cool blue grays to warmer tones bordering on beige, offering a versatile palette that suits any decor style.
The warm ones are the greiges; the greige paint finder lists only those.
Sherwin-Williams and Behr do not publish families this way, so a Sherwin-Williams or Behr color joins when its closest Benjamin Moore color, by CIEDE2000, is very close (under 3) and is a gray by Benjamin Moore’s filing, or when its own brand’s name says gray (“Dorian Gray”) and it is a neutral. A color Sherwin-Williams itself files as a white, or one its own brand names a white (“Cameo White”), is left to the white paint finder. Every color in the list says why it is there. That gives 1020 grays: 225 at Sherwin-Williams, 517 at Benjamin Moore and 278 at Behr, from the brands’ own palette files.
Undertones and your room’s light
Choose warm (the greiges), cool (blue or green leaning), blue, green, or barely any undertone. The undertone shown is our reading of each color’s digital version: its CIELAB hue, named the way paint brands name a lean. Benjamin Moore on the light: A room with northern light tends to reveal more of a paint colors’ Blue and Green undertones, so many homeowners opt for a warmer gray in those spaces.
And: Southern facing light is typically more flattering, opening the door for a wider range of grays in your space.
So North leaves out the cool-leaning colors (696 of 1020 remain) and South keeps them all.
Popular grays, with their LRV
LRV, light reflectance value, is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for a perfect white. Benjamin Moore’s and Sherwin-Williams’ LRVs are the ones each brand prints, read from its color service on 2026-10-11; a Behr LRV is ours, worked out from its digital color, and marked (ours).
| Color | LRV | Leans | How light | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Moore HC-169 Coventry Gray | 48.18 | barely any | medium | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore OC-52 Gray Owl | 64.51 | green | light | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore HC-171 Wickham Gray | 67.87 | green | light | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore 2112-60 Cement Gray | 59.96 | barely any | light | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore HC-170 Stonington Gray | 59.36 | green | light | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore HC-165 Boothbay Gray | 43.26 | blue-green | medium | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore AF-100 Pashmina | 44.2 | yellow | medium | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore HC-172 Revere Pewter | 55.05 | yellow | medium | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore 1560 Antique Pewter | 25.4 | green | medium | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Benjamin Moore HC-166 Kendall Charcoal | 14.61 | barely any | deep | Benjamin Moore files it as gray |
| Sherwin-Williams SW 7015 Repose Gray | 58.2 | yellow | light | its closest Benjamin Moore color |
| Sherwin-Williams SW 7029 Agreeable Gray | 60.4 | yellow | light | its closest Benjamin Moore color |
| Sherwin-Williams SW 7017 Dorian Gray | 38.7 | yellow | medium | its closest Benjamin Moore color |
Worked examples
Light gray paint colors. Choose Light: 272 grays, the lightest first. At Sherwin-Williams the lightest is Sherwin-Williams SW 6511 Snowdrop (LRV 79.6).
A north-facing room. Choose North: the cool grays (blue and green leaning) drop out and 696 remain, the warm ones and the ones with barely any undertone. Benjamin Moore’s Coventry Gray HC-169, LRV 48.18, reads with barely any undertone.
Charcoal. Choose Deep: 209 grays. Kendall Charcoal HC-166, on Benjamin Moore’s Most Popular list, is LRV 14.61; the darkest of all is Sherwin-Williams SW 6174 Andiron (LRV 5.1).
Common mistakes when choosing a gray
- Judging the undertone on the chip alone. Benjamin Moore:
Paint colors are often created by using two or more colors. If there is a higher percentage of one color over the other, that creates an undertone.
Hold the chip against plain white printer paper and the lean shows. - Ignoring the room’s light. North light pulls a color toward blue and green; south light is kinder. Choose the room direction above.
- Trusting a screen. Every color here is the brand’s digital stand-in for the paint. Buy a sample and look at it on the wall morning and evening.
- Picking by LRV alone. Two grays with the same LRV can look very different: one golden, one pinkish. Read the lean beside each.
Found your gray? See it on a sample room or your own photo in the room paint visualizer, and pick the trim with the trim color picker. Planning the furniture too? The free 2D room planner lays out the room.
See it on a wallRead next
- What color walls go with gray floors
- Paint colors for north-facing rooms
- Paint colors that make a room look bigger
- Living room paint color ideas
- Greige paint colors
Gray paint color questions
What are the best light gray paint colors?
Choose Light in the finder: 272 grays, lightest first. Benjamin Moore’s favorites include Gray Owl OC-52 (LRV 64.51) and Wickham Gray HC-171 (LRV 67.87).
What are the most popular gray paint colors?
Benjamin Moore names Coventry Gray HC-169, Gray Owl OC-52 and Wickham Gray HC-171 as some of its most sought-after grays, and Pashmina AF-100, Revere Pewter HC-172, Stonington Gray HC-170, Boothbay Gray HC-165, Antique Pewter 1560 and Kendall Charcoal HC-166 on its Most Popular list.
How do I choose between a warm and a cool gray?
Benjamin Moore: “Consider undertones when selecting gray paint colors: blue or green lends a cool feel; red or yellow provides warmth.” Match the undertone of your floors and furnishings, and in a north-facing room lean warm.
What gray works in a north-facing room?
A warmer gray: Benjamin Moore says northern light reveals more of a color’s blue and green undertones. Choose North in the finder: 696 grays remain.
What colors pair well with gray?
Benjamin Moore suggests off-whites like Simply White OC-117 or Distant Gray OC-68 for a traditional, crisp space, blues like Mysterious AF-565, and soft pinks with charcoal grays.
What are the best gray paint colors from Sherwin-Williams?
Choose Sherwin-Williams in the finder: 225 grays, each with the LRV Sherwin-Williams prints.
Can I see a gray on my own walls?
Yes. Tap a gray, then See it on a wall: the room paint visualizer paints it on a sample room or on your own photo, in your browser.