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BENJAMIN MOORE · AF-685

Benjamin Moore Thunder#BDB8AD · LRV 48

Thunder reads as a red-orange / warm — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover the spec, what Benjamin Moore AF-685 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

SEE IN A ROOM → CALCULATE PAINT NEEDED →
BENJAMIN MOORE THUNDER
RGB 189, 184, 173 LRV 48

Color spec

Brand Benjamin Moore
Name Thunder
SKU AF-685
Hex #BDB8AD
RGB 189, 184, 173
HSL 41°, 11%, 71%
LRV 48
Undertone red-orange / warm
Family Neutral

About Benjamin Moore Thunder

Thunder sits in the mid-range at LRV 48, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its orange undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.

Thunder is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Greige-leaning neutrals like this are the safe whole-home choice when you want warmth without committing to a color.

Kompozit alternative

The closest hex in the Kompozit deck, ranked by ΔE2000 (perceptual color difference). ΔE under 2 is indistinguishable to most eyes; under 5 is a very close visual match.

KOMPOZIT
Light Lichen
SKU 0211 · #BFB6A9 · LRV 47
ΔE 1.96 (near-perfect)
SHOP KOMPOZIT ON AMAZON →

Closest matches at every US brand

9 brands · top 5 each

5 closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all neutral from that brand.

Sherwin-Williams

1,526 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.53
All neutral at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 7016
#BCB7AD
Mindful Gray
ΔE 0.53 · LRV 48
SW 6170
#BFB9AA
Techno Gray
ΔE 1.69 · LRV 49
SW 7030
#BFB6AA
Anew Gray
ΔE 1.98 · LRV 47
SW 7638
#C0B9A9
Jogging Path
ΔE 2.1 · LRV 49
SW 6072
#C1B6AB
Versatile Gray
ΔE 3.08 · LRV 48

PPG / Glidden

2,088 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.53
All neutral at PPG / Glidden →
1007-3
#BCB7AD
Ghost Writer
ΔE 0.53 · LRV 48
1022-3
#BDB6AE
Silver Dollar
ΔE 2.1 · LRV 47
1032-2
#BDBBAD
Hurricane Haze
ΔE 2.37 · LRV 49
1019-3
#C6BAAF
Legendary
ΔE 3.67 · LRV 50
1009-4
#B7B9B5
Gray Stone
ΔE 4.26 · LRV 48

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.56
All neutral at Magnolia Home →
JG-19
#BDB7AC
Sunday Stroll
ΔE 0.56 · LRV 48
JG-109
#C5BBAC
Solid Wood
ΔE 2.71 · LRV 50
JG-133
#C6BBB2
Cinnamon Sugar
ΔE 3.73 · LRV 51
JG-123
#BBBDB9
Day-to-day
ΔE 4.39 · LRV 50
JG-46
#B3B9AA
Flower Jar
ΔE 5.95 · LRV 47

Behr

4,699 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.02
All neutral at Behr →
MQ6-23
#BCB9AF
Pumice
ΔE 1.02 · LRV 48
HDC-CT-21
#BEB7AE
Grey Mist
ΔE 1.65 · LRV 48
N210-3
#BAB8AC
Barista
ΔE 1.75 · LRV 48
QE-57
#BFB8B0
Warm Ash
ΔE 2.08 · LRV 48
PPU18-12
#BEB6AE
Graceful Gray
ΔE 2.52 · LRV 47

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.08
All neutral at Valspar →
6003-1B
#BDB6AA
Frappe
ΔE 1.08 · LRV 47.1
8005-4C
#BFB6AA
Luxe Gray
ΔE 1.98 · LRV 47
5006-1C
#B8B9B2
Granite Dust
ΔE 3.17 · LRV 48.1
8004-29C
#B8B8AA
Simple Gray
ΔE 3.18 · LRV 47
V144-3
#B8B8AA
Simple Gray
ΔE 3.18 · LRV 47.4

Dunn-Edwards

1,696 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.34
All neutral at Dunn-Edwards →
DE6228
#BAB6A9
Play on Gray
ΔE 1.34 · LRV 47
DEC770
#BEB4A8
Drifting
ΔE 2.58 · LRV 46
DE6242
#B9B5A4
Wells Gray
ΔE 2.97 · LRV 46
DEC751
#C1B5A9
Ash Gray
ΔE 3.44 · LRV 47
DE6270
#B5B8A8
Antique Coin
ΔE 4.95 · LRV 47

Farrow & Ball

132 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.85
All neutral at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 275
#C4BEB4
Purbeck Stone
ΔE 1.85 · LRV 52
NO. 267
#BBB1AB
Dove Tale
ΔE 4.47 · LRV 45
NO. 22
#B8BCB5
Light Blue
ΔE 4.51 · LRV 49
NO. 234
#BABBA5
Vert de Terre
ΔE 5.88 · LRV 49
NO. 293
#C4B2A2
Jitney
ΔE 5.95 · LRV 46

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.21
All neutral at Clare →
PNT100-LT-13
#C2B8B2
Greige
ΔE 4.21 · LRV 49
PNT100-LT-09
#C1C3C0
Motor City
ΔE 5.28 · LRV 54
PNT100-MD-48
#B5B9A6
Money Moves
ΔE 6.05 · LRV 47
PNT100-MD-49
#ABBD9F
Avocado Toast
ΔE 12.43 · LRV 48
PNT100-MD-73
#ADBECB
Cloud Watching
ΔE 13.42 · LRV 50

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 6.68
All neutral at Backdrop →
BD-NU
#A4A89F
Nuevo
ΔE 6.68 · LRV 38
BD-LF
#A4AB95
Le Freak
ΔE 9.1 · LRV 35
BD-UD
#A4B5BB
Underdog
ΔE 11.47 · LRV 41
BD-LO
#A4C2D2
Lost in the 80s
ΔE 16.15 · LRV 51
BD-RO
#D2A299
Rosita
ΔE 17.18 · LRV 38

Similar Benjamin Moore colors

closest in the Benjamin Moore deck

The nearest shades to Thunder within Benjamin Moore's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

1542
Himalayan Trek
LRV 47
CW-715
Bone Black
LRV 47
CSP-100
Cosmopolitan
LRV null
1005
Hazelwood
LRV 49
CC-394
Boulevard
LRV null
2140-50
Gray Horse
LRV 49

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #BDB8AD in HSL space. Pair Thunder with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#BDB8AD + #ADB2BD
TRIADIC
#BDB8AD · #ADBDB8 · #B8ADBD
ANALOGOUS
#BDB0AD · #BDB8AD · #BABDAD

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
1.98:1 fail
Sample text on black
10.62:1 AAA

WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.

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