Color spec
| Brand | C2 Paint |
| Name | James Brown |
| SKU | C2-870 |
| Hex | #636058 |
| RGB | 99, 96, 88 |
| HSL | 44°, 6%, 37% |
| LRV | 12 |
| Undertone | red-orange / warm |
| Family | Gray |
About C2 Paint James Brown
With an LRV of 12, James Brown 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.
James Brown works best as a feature — a single wall, built-ins, a study or dining room — rather than wrapping a whole bright space. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.
Closest matches at every US brand
13 brands · top 5 each5 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 gray from that brand.
Sherwin-Williams
Behr
Dunn-Edwards
Magnolia Home
Valspar
Dutch Boy
PPG / Glidden
Diamond Vogel
Benjamin Moore
Kompozit
Farrow & Ball
Clare
Backdrop
Similar C2 Paint colors
closest in the C2 Paint deckThe nearest shades to James Brown within C2 Paint's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #636058 in HSL space. Pair James Brown with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
C2 Paint James Brown Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching James Brown from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint C2 Paint C2-870 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Behr Equivalent of James Brown
Behr's nearest match is Mountain Ridge (780B-6), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.19). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 12) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for James Brown without repainting risk. See the full Mountain Ridge swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of James Brown
Dunn-Edwards's nearest match is Prune the Tree (DEBN77), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.32). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for James Brown without repainting risk. See the full Prune the Tree swatch →
Magnolia Home Equivalent of James Brown
Magnolia Home's nearest match is Trailhead (JG-169), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.33). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12) and carries a warm yellow undertone, so it substitutes for James Brown without repainting risk. See the full Trailhead swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of James Brown
Valspar's nearest match is Catch of the Day (8005-2F), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.43). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for James Brown without repainting risk. See the full Catch of the Day swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of James Brown
At PPG / Glidden, the closest color to James Brown is Dark Woods (PPG0999-7) — very close at ΔE 2.9, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Dark Woods swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of James Brown
At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to James Brown is Ares Shadow (0207) — very close at ΔE 3, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12) and carries a warm red-orange undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Ares Shadow swatch →
Dutch Boy Equivalent of James Brown
At Dutch Boy, the closest color to James Brown is Softened Coal (438-5DB) — very close at ΔE 3.17, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Softened Coal swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of James Brown
Kompozit has no exact twin of James Brown. The nearest is Tornado Wind (0584) at ΔE 3.71 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Tornado Wind swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of James Brown
Benjamin Moore has no exact twin of James Brown. The nearest is Spanish Moss (ES-44) at ΔE 3.93 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 12). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Spanish Moss swatch →
Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of James Brown
Sherwin-Williams has no exact twin of James Brown. The nearest is Pewter Green (SW 6208) at ΔE 4.09 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Pewter Green swatch →
Farrow & Ball Equivalent of James Brown
Farrow & Ball has no exact twin of James Brown. The nearest is Down Pipe (NO. 26) at ΔE 4.92 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 13 vs 12). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Down Pipe swatch →
Clare Equivalent of James Brown
Clare doesn't make a true equivalent of James Brown — the nearest deck color, Current Mood (PNT100-DP-51), is clearly different (ΔE 8.97). For an exact match, any Clare retailer can custom-tint C2 Paint C2-870 instead. See the full Current Mood swatch →
Backdrop Equivalent of James Brown
Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of James Brown — the nearest deck color, Buenos Aires (BD-BA), is clearly different (ΔE 12.45). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint C2 Paint C2-870 instead. See the full Buenos Aires swatch →