Pick your tile's color and the look you want: grout that blends in, a soft line, or a line that stands out. You get the Mapei and Custom grout colors that give it, how far each sits from your tile, and your tile drawn with each one. It is free and needs no sign-up.
Your grout
White tile, grout that blends in: Mapei 5038 Avalanche or Custom #640 Arctic White.
Quick answer: for grout that blends in, pick one within 20 points of your tile’s LRV (how much light a color reflects). For a line that stands out, pick one more than 30 points away. On white tile that means Mapei 5038 Avalanche or Custom #640 Arctic White to blend, and Mapei 5010 Black or Custom #60 Charcoal for bold black lines. Pick your own tile above to see yours.
How to use the grout color picker
- Pick your tile’s color. Tap the nearest typical tile, type its color code, or use the color picker. For your own tile, tap it on a photo in the Paint Color Matcher and paste the code it gives.
- Pick the look: grout that blends in, a soft line, or a line that stands out.
- Read the picks. The best Mapei and Custom grout for your look comes first, with the next ones and the other two looks under it. Tap any grout to see your tile drawn with it.
- Set your tile’s shape and joint to see how much line the grout really makes. Copy link keeps your choice.
How the picker sorts grout
Two measurements decide it. The first is the LRV gap: the difference between how much light the tile and the grout reflect, on a scale from 0 (black) to 100 (white). The same yardstick decides when a door or trim stands apart from a wall, and it works the same on a grout line:
| LRV gap | What you see |
|---|---|
| Under 20 | Blends in: the tile and the grout read as one surface |
| 20 to 30 | A soft line that shows in good light |
| Over 30 | Every line stands out, in any light |
The second is CIEDE2000, the color-difference formula the paint and print trades use. Within a look, the grout closest to your tile’s own color comes first. For a line that stands out, the plain white, gray or black with the biggest gap comes first.
Custom Building Products sums up the choice on its own grout color page. Matching grout gives “a uniform, monolithic look” and is “more forgiving of tile placement”. Contrasting grout makes the pattern “much more apparent”, but “it can also highlight any variances in the layout”.
The best grout for common tile colors
From the picker, for a typical tile of each color. Every grout here is the maker’s own name and code.
| Tile | Blends in | A soft line | Stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White | Mapei 5229 Sea Salt · Custom #333 Alabaster | Mapei 5010 Black · Custom #60 Charcoal |
| Cream | Mapei 5220 Eggshell (formerly White) · Custom #333 Alabaster | Mapei 5227 Castle Wall · Custom #122 Linen | Mapei 5010 Black · Custom #60 Charcoal |
| White marble | Mapei 5221 Moonbeam · Custom #381 Bright White | Mapei 5227 Castle Wall · Custom #643 Warm Gray | Mapei 5010 Black · Custom #60 Charcoal |
| Beige travertine | Mapei 5014 Biscuit · Custom #122 Linen | Mapei 5220 Eggshell (formerly White) · Custom #186 Khaki | Mapei 5010 Black · Custom #60 Charcoal |
| Light gray | Mapei 5227 Castle Wall · Custom #544 Rolling Fog | Mapei 5220 Eggshell (formerly White) · Custom #381 Bright White | Mapei 5010 Black · Custom #60 Charcoal |
| Mid gray | Mapei 5228 Cavern Moss · Custom #165 Delorean Gray | Mapei 5093 Warm Gray · Custom #546 Cape Gray | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White |
| Charcoal | Mapei 5010 Black · Custom #60 Charcoal | Mapei 5228 Cavern Moss · Custom #165 Delorean Gray | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White |
| Black | Mapei 5010 Black · Custom #60 Charcoal | Mapei 5011 Sahara Beige · Custom #335 Winter Gray | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White |
| Light wood-look | Mapei 5044 Pale Umber · Custom #380 Haystack | Mapei 5014 Biscuit · Custom #382 Bone | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White |
| Dark wood-look | Mapei 5079 Cocoa · Custom #646 Coffee Bean | Mapei 5005 Chamois · Custom #135 Mushroom | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White |
| Terracotta | Mapei 5042 Mocha · Custom #105 Earth | Mapei 5044 Pale Umber · Custom #386 Oyster Gray | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White |
| Navy | Mapei 5232 Night Sky · Custom #60 Charcoal | Mapei 5228 Cavern Moss · Custom #165 Delorean Gray | Mapei 5038 Avalanche · Custom #640 Arctic White |
The colors are read from Mapei’s Ultracolor Plus FA page and Custom’s Grout Color Selector. Mapei lists 40 colors and Custom 40 (32 of them also in Polyblend). A screen only approximates a grout, so check the maker’s color card in your room’s light before you buy.
Three worked examples
White Subway Tile with black grout. The tile reflects about 90% of the light. Custom #60 Charcoal reflects about 5% and Mapei 5010 Black about 7%, a gap of 85 and 83 points. Every line shows, which is the point of the look. Lay the tile with even joints, because the contrast shows every uneven one.
White marble that should look like one slab. Mapei 5221 Moonbeam sits 1 point from the tile and Custom #381 Bright White 3, so both read as one surface. Marble varies from tile to tile, and Custom warns that color variance in natural stone “will break the uniform look”. Match the grout to the tiles’ main color, not the veins.
Light gray tile with a soft white line. Mapei 5220 Eggshell is 21 points lighter and Custom #381 Bright White 23. The lines show in a well-lit bathroom and fade in dim light. Light grout shows dirt sooner, so seal it.
Common grout color mistakes
- Choosing from a screen. Custom: “Sample colors shown generally approximate grout color. Each computer screen is different.” Hold the maker’s color card or a cured sample against your tile.
- Judging the color before it cures. Custom: “the color of powder or mixed grout prior to installation and cure is not the same as the color of the final cured grout,” and most grout “takes several days to cure.”
- A light grout on a busy floor. Custom says a lighter grout “is more difficult to maintain. Dirt and spills are more noticeable,” while “darker grout does not show wear, dirt or damage as easily.”
- A contrasting grout on uneven tile. A bold line shows every joint that wanders. A matching grout hides small slips.
- Caulk that does not match. The corners and the joint along the tub take caulk, not grout. Custom: “It’s easier to match grout colors when selecting both products from the same manufacturer.”
Then work out how much to buy: the tile calculator counts the tile, the grout bags and the thinset for your floor or wall.
Planning the whole room? The free 2D room planner opens a bathroom you can resize and rearrange, drawn to scale, in feet or centimeters.
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Grout color questions
What is the best grout color for white tile?
For a seamless look, a white within 20 points of the tile’s LRV: Mapei 5038 Avalanche or Custom #640 Arctic White on a typical white tile. For classic black lines, Mapei 5010 Black or Custom #60 Charcoal. A soft light gray sits in between.
Should I use white tiles with black grout?
If you want the pattern to show, yes. Black grout on white tile is over 80 points apart, so every line stands out. Custom notes it can also highlight any variance in the layout, so it suits carefully laid subway or checkerboard tile.
Is white grout a good idea?
On white or light tile it gives the cleanest look. Custom says a lighter grout “is more difficult to maintain. Dirt and spills are more noticeable.” Seal it, or choose a stain-resistant grout, especially on a floor.
What are Mapei’s grout colors?
Mapei’s Ultracolor Plus FA comes in 40 colors, from 5038 Avalanche and 5221 Moonbeam to 5047 Charcoal and 5010 Black. The picker above lists every one and draws it on your tile.
Is there a Mapei grout color chart?
Mapei prints its colors on each grout’s product page and on its color card. The picker above is that chart sorted for your tile: the colors that blend in, show softly or stand out, with their codes.
What are Custom’s Polyblend grout colors?
Custom’s Grout Color Selector lists 40 colors for Prism and Fusion Pro. The picker marks the 32 that also come in Polyblend, such as #381 Bright White, #165 Delorean Gray and #60 Charcoal.
What grout color goes with white subway tile?
White grout for a calm, seamless wall, a light gray for a soft line, or charcoal or black to show the pattern. Pick “3 × 6″ subway” above to see each on a running-bond wall.
What grout color goes with gray tile?
On light gray tile, Mapei 5227 Castle Wall or Custom #544 Rolling Fog blend in, and a white gives a soft line. On mid-gray tile, Mapei 5228 Cavern Moss or Custom #165 Delorean Gray blend, and a white stands out. Pick your gray above for your exact match.