Colonial Gray
422-2DB · #C5C4B5 · LRV 54 — warm yellow tone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
- 1Dorian Gray39
- 2Mindful Gray48
- 3Colonial Gray54
- 4Agreeable Gray60
- 5Pale Oak69
What Color Is Colonial Gray, Really?
Colonial Gray reads as a warm yellow tone — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover how Dutch Boy 422-2DB behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Colonial Gray
Colonial Gray is an easy whole-room color for living spaces and bedrooms, and light enough to carry onto trim or a ceiling if you want a soft, seamless look. Greige-leaning neutrals like this are the safe whole-home choice when you want warmth without committing to a color.
How Lighting Changes Colonial Gray
At LRV 54, Colonial Gray is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. 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. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.
Most complaints about Colonial Gray 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 Dutch Boy 422-2DB 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 | High SierraSW 9588 · Sherwin-Williams | 4.0 | 53 | Color page → |
| Behr | Arbor HollowECC-37-1 · Behr | 1.1 | 53 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Gray Mirage2142-50 · Benjamin Moore | 1.7 | 54 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Rocky CliffM252 · Valspar | 1.4 | 54.6 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Pale PinePPG1030-2 · PPG / Glidden | 3.2 | 55 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Grey Nuance90YY 55/049 · Glidden | 2.6 | 55 | Color page → |
Similar Dutch Boy Colors
The nearest shades to Colonial Gray within Dutch Boy'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 #C5C4B5 in HSL space. Pair Colonial Gray with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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