Dunn-Edwards Soft Charcoal#838298 · LRV 23
Soft Charcoal reads as a blue / cool — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover the spec, what Dunn-Edwards DE5935 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Color spec
| Brand | Dunn-Edwards |
| Name | Soft Charcoal |
| SKU | DE5935 |
| Hex | #838298 |
| RGB | 131, 130, 152 |
| HSL | 243°, 10%, 55% |
| LRV | 23 |
| Undertone | blue / cool |
| Family | Gray |
About Dunn-Edwards Soft Charcoal
With an LRV of 23, Soft Charcoal 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.
Soft Charcoal 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.
Kompozit alternative
The closest hex in the Kompozit deck, ranked by ΔE2000 (perceptual color difference). ΔE under 2 is indistinguishable to most eyes; under 5 is a very close visual match.
Closest matches at every US brand
9 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.
Behr
Benjamin Moore
PPG / Glidden
Sherwin-Williams
Valspar
Magnolia Home
Farrow & Ball
Clare
Similar Dunn-Edwards colors
closest in the Dunn-Edwards deckThe nearest shades to Soft Charcoal within Dunn-Edwards'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 #838298 in HSL space. Pair Soft Charcoal 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.