Pencil Lead
DE5922 · #5C6274 · LRV 12 — cool blue tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
- 1Naval4
- 2Pencil Lead12
- 3Charcoal Blue19
- 4Resolute Blue40
What Color Is Pencil Lead, Really?
Pencil Lead reads as a cool blue tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how Dunn-Edwards DE5922 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Pencil Lead
Pencil Lead 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 Pencil Lead
With an LRV of 12, Pencil Lead is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. Its blue 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. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.
Most complaints about Pencil Lead 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 Dunn-Edwards DE5922 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 | MesmerizeSW 6544 · Sherwin-Williams | 1.9 | 13 | Color page → |
| Behr | Mysterious NightS550-6 · Behr | 1.3 | 12 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Blue Gaspe1435 · Benjamin Moore | 0.0 | 14 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Blue ZephyrPPG1042-6 · PPG / Glidden | 3.7 | 13 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Blue Heron50BB 13/104 · Glidden | 1.4 | 13 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Sweet Blueberry342-6DB · Dutch Boy | 1.9 | 13 | Color page → |
Similar Dunn-Edwards Colors
The nearest shades to Pencil Lead within Dunn-Edwards'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 #5C6274 in HSL space. Pair Pencil Lead with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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