Smoke Gray
2120-40 · #757B82 · LRV 21 — cool blue tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
- 1Hale Navy8
- 2Waterloo13
- 3Smoke Gray21
- 4Resolute Blue40
- 5Lost in the 80s51
What Color Is Smoke Gray, Really?
Smoke Gray reads as a cool blue tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how Benjamin Moore 2120-40 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Smoke Gray
Smoke Gray works best as a feature — a single wall, built-ins, a study or dining room — rather than wrapping a whole bright space. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.
How Lighting Changes Smoke Gray
With an LRV of 21, Smoke Gray is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.
Most complaints about Smoke Gray 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 Benjamin Moore 2120-40 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 | Foggy DaySW 6235 · Sherwin-Williams | 3.4 | 20 | Color page → |
| Behr | Liquid MercuryN510-5 · Behr | 0.7 | 19 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Elephant Gray4006-2A · Valspar | 1.4 | 18.9 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Favorite FlannelPPG10-19 · PPG / Glidden | 1.6 | 18 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Elegant Charcoal00NN 20/000 · Glidden | 4.0 | 20 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Industrialized434-5DB · Dutch Boy | 1.7 | 21 | Color page → |
Similar Benjamin Moore Colors
The nearest shades to Smoke Gray within Benjamin Moore'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 #757B82 in HSL space. Pair Smoke Gray with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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