Elephant Skin
PPU18-16 · #97928C · LRV 29 — warm red-orange tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Black Fox7
- 2Pewter Green12
- 3Elephant Skin29
- 4Stardew43
- 5Upward57
What Color Is Elephant Skin, Really?
Elephant Skin reads as a warm red-orange tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how Behr PPU18-16 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Elephant Skin
Elephant Skin is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.
How Lighting Changes Elephant Skin
Elephant Skin sits in the mid-range at LRV 29, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.
Most complaints about Elephant Skin are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr PPU18-16 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Summit GraySW 7669 · Sherwin-Williams | 2.3 | 30 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Graystone1475 · Benjamin Moore | 2.0 | 31 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Tabby Cat Gray8005-1D · Valspar | 1.1 | 28 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Lazy AfternoonPPG1007-5 · PPG / Glidden | 0.9 | 29 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Lazy AfternoonPPG1007-5 · Glidden | 0.5 | 29 | Color page → |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | FossilizedHGSW 1504 · HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | 4.0 | 29 | Color page → |
Similar Behr Colors
The nearest shades to Elephant Skin within Behr's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #97928C in HSL space. Pair Elephant Skin with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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