Color spec
| Brand | C2 Paint |
| Name | James Brown |
| SKU | C2-870 |
| Hex | #636058 |
| RGB | 99, 96, 88 |
| HSL | 44°, 6%, 37% |
| LRV | 12 |
| Undertone | warm red-orange tone |
| 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 by brand
15 brands within ΔE 5The closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Only colors within ΔE 5 (close enough to substitute on a wall) are shown — brands with no real match are left off. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all gray from that brand.
Sherwin-Williams
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
PPG / Glidden
Glidden
Dutch Boy
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
Dunn-Edwards
Magnolia Home
Farrow & Ball
Diamond Vogel
Hirshfield's
Rodda
Kompozit
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.
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Glidden Equivalent of James Brown
Glidden's nearest match is Dark Woods (PPG0999-7), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.96). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 12 vs 12) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for James Brown without repainting risk. See the full Dark Woods 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 →
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of James Brown
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams has no exact twin of James Brown. The nearest is Woodland Lichen (HGSW 3282) 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 Woodland Lichen 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 →
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 →
Hirshfield's Equivalent of James Brown
At Hirshfield's, the closest color to James Brown is Gropius Gray (H0147) — very close at ΔE 2.17, 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 Gropius Gray swatch →
Rodda Equivalent of James Brown
Rodda's nearest match is Foothills (CA084), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.8). 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 Foothills 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 →