CP
DUNN-EDWARDS · DEB005

Dunn-Edwards Samson Bronze#534E4E · LRV 7

Samson Bronze reads as a true neutral (no measurable hue) — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Dunn-Edwards DEB005 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

DUNN-EDWARDS SAMSON BRONZE
RGB 83, 78, 78 LRV 7

Color spec

Brand Dunn-Edwards
Name Samson Bronze
SKU DEB005
Hex #534E4E
RGB 83, 78, 78
HSL 0°, 3%, 32%
LRV 7
Undertone true neutral (no measurable hue)
Family Gray

About Dunn-Edwards Samson Bronze

At LRV 7, Samson Bronze is about as dark as paint gets — it reads near-black on a wall and reveals its character only in direct daylight or under warm bulbs. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.

Samson Bronze earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. 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 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 gray from that brand.

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.23
All gray at Valspar →
8005-12G · #534C4C · ΔE 1.23 · LRV 8
8006-12F · #4D494C · ΔE 2.51 · LRV 7
4003-2C · #57524E · ΔE 2.85 · LRV 8.6
4008-2C · #4E5150 · ΔE 5.13 · LRV 8
5002-2C · #494E49 · ΔE 7.63 · LRV 7.3

Farrow & Ball

209 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.37
All gray at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 255 · #4F4A4A · ΔE 1.37 · LRV 7
NO. 36 · #534644 · ΔE 4.7 · LRV 7
NO. 305 · #505456 · ΔE 5.49 · LRV 9
NO. 93 · #464C49 · ΔE 7.6 · LRV 7
NO. 254 · #53454F · ΔE 7.78 · LRV 7

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.47
All gray at C2 Paint →
C2-853 · #554E4C · ΔE 1.47 · LRV 8
C2-901 · #4C4C4A · ΔE 3.79 · LRV 7
C2-805 · #5B4D4D · ΔE 4.61 · LRV 8
C2-917 · #504D45 · ΔE 5.5 · LRV 7
C2-789 · #4E4A55 · ΔE 6.24 · LRV 7

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.94
All gray at Behr →
PPU24-02 · #544F4C · ΔE 1.94 · LRV 8
MQ1-34 · #554C4D · ΔE 2.38 · LRV 8
BXC-71 · #4F5051 · ΔE 3.51 · LRV 8
PPU18-01 · #4F5152 · ΔE 4.19 · LRV 8
PPU18-1 · #4F5152 · ΔE 4.19 · LRV 8

Sherwin-Williams

1,947 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.31
All gray at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 9575 · #59504F · ΔE 2.31 · LRV 8
SW 9154 · #4F4D51 · ΔE 2.71 · LRV 8
SW 9610 · #57534E · ΔE 3.72 · LRV 9
SW 7048 · #54504A · ΔE 4.03 · LRV 8
SW 7645 · #57534C · ΔE 4.81 · LRV 9

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.36
All gray at Diamond Vogel →
0557 · #534B48 · ΔE 2.36 · LRV 7
0536 · #4F4E4C · ΔE 3.04 · LRV 8
0508 · #525256 · ΔE 3.52 · LRV 9
0578 · #565248 · ΔE 6.34 · LRV 8
0445 · #575044 · ΔE 6.84 · LRV 8

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.41
All gray at Clare →
PNT100-DP-55 · #515052 · ΔE 2.41 · LRV 8
PNT100-DP-54 · #484745 · ΔE 4.08 · LRV 6
PNT100-DP-42 · #545E66 · ΔE 9.66 · LRV 11
PNT100-DP-77 · #604B56 · ΔE 9.67 · LRV 8
PNT100-DP-67 · #7C4D4C · ΔE 15.93 · LRV 10

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.57
All gray at Benjamin Moore →
AF-655 · #57504C · ΔE 2.57 · LRV 10
2130-30 · #4F4E53 · ΔE 3.38 · LRV 9
CC-542 · #564E48 · ΔE 3.64 · LRV 8
1610 · #4C4F52 · ΔE 4.71 · LRV 9
1596 · #4B4E4E · ΔE 4.91 · LRV 8

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.13
All gray at Magnolia Home →
JG-145 · #4D484C · ΔE 3.13 · LRV 7
JG-131 · #544846 · ΔE 4 · LRV 7
JG-141 · #505353 · ΔE 4.99 · LRV 9
JG-122 · #524840 · ΔE 5.25 · LRV 7
JG-161 · #494E4B · ΔE 6.93 · LRV 7

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.28
All gray at Dutch Boy →
443-7DB · #504844 · ΔE 3.28 · LRV 7
436-7DB · #535556 · ΔE 4.57 · LRV 9
440-7DB · #514A41 · ΔE 5.48 · LRV 7
345-6DB · #534C58 · ΔE 6.82 · LRV 8
421-7DB · #554C3E · ΔE 7.75 · LRV 7

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.49
All gray at PPG / Glidden →
PPG1004-7 · #51484B · ΔE 3.49 · LRV 7
PPG1014-7 · #554848 · ΔE 4.43 · LRV 7
PPG1018-7 · #5B4C45 · ΔE 5.78 · LRV 8
PPG1009-7 · #4E4F48 · ΔE 6.47 · LRV 8
PPG1015-7 · #5E4B48 · ΔE 6.78 · LRV 8

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 6.47
All gray at Kompozit →
0571 · #534D42 · ΔE 6.47 · LRV 8
0585 · #4A4C45 · ΔE 7.08 · LRV 7
0221 · #5B4F41 · ΔE 7.77 · LRV 8
0444 · #565143 · ΔE 8.13 · LRV 8
0451 · #545243 · ΔE 9.26 · LRV 8

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 8.8
All gray at Backdrop →
BD-AH · #3D423E · ΔE 8.8 · LRV 6
BD-IT · #5C4435 · ΔE 10.87 · LRV 7
BD-LC · #3F4458 · ΔE 11.11 · LRV 6
BD-WK · #3F546B · ΔE 13.74 · LRV 8
BD-NE · #3D4D3F · ΔE 15.22 · LRV 7

Similar Dunn-Edwards colors

closest in the Dunn-Edwards deck

The nearest shades to Samson Bronze within Dunn-Edwards's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

DE6371 · LRV 8
DE6371 · LRV 8
DEB006 · LRV 7
DET619 · LRV 8
DE6364 · LRV 8
DET630 · LRV 8

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #534E4E in HSL space. Pair Samson Bronze with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#534E4E + #4E5353
TRIADIC
#534E4E · #4E534E · #4E4E53
ANALOGOUS
#534E51 · #534E4E · #53514E

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
8.18:1 AAA
Sample text on black
2.57:1 fail

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

Dunn-Edwards Samson Bronze Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Samson Bronze 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 Dunn-Edwards DEB005 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Valspar Equivalent of Samson Bronze

Valspar's nearest match is Bittersweet Molasses (8005-12G), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.23). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Samson Bronze without repainting risk. See the full Bittersweet Molasses swatch →

Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Samson Bronze

Farrow & Ball's nearest match is Tanner's Brown (NO. 255), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.37). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 7 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Samson Bronze without repainting risk. See the full Tanner's Brown swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Samson Bronze

C2 Paint's nearest match is Enamored (C2-853), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.47). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 7) and carries a warm red undertone, so it substitutes for Samson Bronze without repainting risk. See the full Enamored swatch →

Behr Equivalent of Samson Bronze

Behr's nearest match is Berry Brown (PPU24-02), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.94). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 7) and carries a warm red-orange undertone, so it substitutes for Samson Bronze without repainting risk. See the full Berry Brown swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Samson Bronze

At Clare, the closest color to Samson Bronze is Blackest (PNT100-DP-55) — very close at ΔE 2.41, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Blackest swatch →

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Samson Bronze

At Sherwin-Williams, the closest color to Samson Bronze is Perle Noir (SW 9154) — very close at ΔE 2.71, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Perle Noir swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Samson Bronze

At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Samson Bronze is Subway (0536) — very close at ΔE 3.04, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Subway swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Samson Bronze

At Benjamin Moore, the closest color to Samson Bronze is Almost Black (2130-30) — very close at ΔE 3.38, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 7) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Almost Black swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Samson Bronze

Magnolia Home has no exact twin of Samson Bronze. The nearest is Prairie Smoke (JG-141) at ΔE 4.99 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 7). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Prairie Smoke swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Samson Bronze

PPG / Glidden doesn't make a true equivalent of Samson Bronze — the nearest deck color, Licorice (PPG1009-7), is clearly different (ΔE 6.47). For an exact match, any PPG / Glidden retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEB005 instead. See the full Licorice swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Samson Bronze

Kompozit doesn't make a true equivalent of Samson Bronze — the nearest deck color, Terra Pin (0571), is clearly different (ΔE 6.47). For an exact match, any Kompozit retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEB005 instead. See the full Terra Pin swatch →

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Samson Bronze

Dutch Boy doesn't make a true equivalent of Samson Bronze — the nearest deck color, Sliced Eggplant (345-6DB), is clearly different (ΔE 6.82). For an exact match, any Dutch Boy retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEB005 instead. See the full Sliced Eggplant swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Samson Bronze

Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Samson Bronze — the nearest deck color, It's a Date (BD-IT), is clearly different (ΔE 10.87). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Dunn-Edwards DEB005 instead. See the full It's a Date swatch →

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