Serpentine
DE5502 · #9B8E54 · LRV 26 — warm yellow tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Cabin Fever14
- 2Thai Curry21
- 3Serpentine26
- 4Chilled Wine41
- 5Honey Tea52
What Color Is Serpentine, Really?
Serpentine reads as a warm yellow tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how Dunn-Edwards DE5502 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Serpentine
Serpentine is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Yellows lift kitchens, hallways and kids' rooms with warmth.
How Lighting Changes Serpentine
Serpentine sits in the mid-range at LRV 26, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its yellow 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.
Most complaints about Serpentine 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 DE5502 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 | Tupelo TreeSW 6417 · Sherwin-Williams | 1.5 | 28 | Color page → |
| Behr | Fossil Butte350F-6 · Behr | 1.9 | 28 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Seville Tan251 · Benjamin Moore | 4.7 | 27 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Prairie Sage8003-28E · Valspar | 3.0 | 29 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Safari ScenePPG11-06 · PPG / Glidden | 2.3 | 26 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Vintage Olive50YY 26/289 · Glidden | 1.4 | 26 | Color page → |
Similar Dunn-Edwards Colors
The nearest shades to Serpentine 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 #9B8E54 in HSL space. Pair Serpentine with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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