CP
DUTCH BOY · 436-3DB

Dutch Boy Elephant Trunk#BBBEBF · LRV 51

Elephant Trunk reads as a true neutral (no measurable hue) — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover the spec, what Dutch Boy 436-3DB actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

DUTCH BOY ELEPHANT TRUNK
RGB 187, 190, 191 LRV 51

Color spec

Brand Dutch Boy
Name Elephant Trunk
SKU 436-3DB
Hex #BBBEBF
RGB 187, 190, 191
HSL 195°, 3%, 74%
LRV 51
Undertone true neutral (no measurable hue)
Family Gray

About Dutch Boy Elephant Trunk

At LRV 51, Elephant Trunk is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.

Elephant Trunk 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. 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.

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.63
All gray at Diamond Vogel →
0525 · #BABDBD · ΔE 0.63 · LRV 50
0532 · #BABAB7 · ΔE 2.55 · LRV 49
0518 · #B9BABF · ΔE 2.8 · LRV 49
0552 · #C0B9B7 · ΔE 5.11 · LRV 50
1316 · #C2C0C9 · ΔE 5.47 · LRV 53

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.84
All gray at Behr →
PPU18-05 · #B8BCBE · ΔE 0.84 · LRV 50
PPU18-5 · #B8BCBE · ΔE 0.84 · LRV 50
HDC-NT-23G · #BCBEBC · ΔE 1.62 · LRV 51
MQ5-31 · #B7BEC1 · ΔE 1.89 · LRV 51
PPU16-11 · #BDBBBC · ΔE 2.7 · LRV 50

Sherwin-Williams

1,947 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.97
All gray at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 6254 · #BEC1C3 · ΔE 0.97 · LRV 53
SW 7663 · #B8BCBB · ΔE 1.47 · LRV 50
SW 6233 · #B8BEBE · ΔE 1.69 · LRV 51
SW 6247 · #B8C0C3 · ΔE 2.28 · LRV 52
SW 7065 · #BDBDB7 · ΔE 3.7 · LRV 51

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.21
All gray at Kompozit →
0525 · #B7BBBB · ΔE 1.21 · LRV 49
0448 · #BDC3BD · ΔE 4.35 · LRV 54
1316 · #BEBDC6 · ΔE 5.09 · LRV 51
0489 · #B6C3C1 · ΔE 5.09 · LRV 53
0483 · #AFC2C1 · ΔE 6.97 · LRV 52

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.27
All gray at Benjamin Moore →
2124-40 · #B8BDC0 · ΔE 1.27 · LRV 50
1605 · #B9BFBE · ΔE 2.03 · LRV 51
AF-690 · #BABDB8 · ΔE 3.26 · LRV 50
CSP-495 · #C0BCBC · ΔE 3.6 · LRV 51
1481 · #BBBEB8 · ΔE 3.74 · LRV 51

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.4
All gray at PPG / Glidden →
PPG10-15 · #BCC1C1 · ΔE 1.4 · LRV 53
PPG1039-2 · #B9BFBF · ΔE 1.68 · LRV 51
PPG1013-3 · #BEBFC2 · ΔE 1.76 · LRV 52
PPG1012-4 · #B8BFC2 · ΔE 1.88 · LRV 51
PPG0994-3 · #BBBCB8 · ΔE 2.73 · LRV 50

Dunn-Edwards

2,298 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.4
All gray at Dunn-Edwards →
DE6367 · #B9BABA · ΔE 1.4 · LRV 46
DE6353 · #BBBFC3 · ΔE 1.58 · LRV 48
DE6325 · #B4BCBF · ΔE 2.4 · LRV 46
DE6346 · #B7BDC4 · ΔE 3.05 · LRV 47
DE6311 · #B7C0BE · ΔE 3.55 · LRV 48

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.88
All gray at Valspar →
V116-1 · #BCC2C2 · ΔE 1.88 · LRV 53
M320 · #BCC2BF · ΔE 2.99 · LRV 53
8004-46B · #BFC0C6 · ΔE 3.21 · LRV 53
T675 · #B9C2BE · ΔE 4.3 · LRV 52.8
8004-34C · #B7C1BD · ΔE 4.6 · LRV 52

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.92
All gray at Magnolia Home →
JG-83 · #C1C5C5 · ΔE 1.92 · LRV 55
JG-123 · #BBBDB9 · ΔE 2.68 · LRV 50
JG-127 · #C7C2BB · ΔE 5.19 · LRV 54
JG-06 · #B9BFB5 · ΔE 6.02 · LRV 51
JG-133 · #C6BBB2 · ΔE 7.38 · LRV 51

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.96
All gray at C2 Paint →
C2-991 · #BEBEBC · ΔE 1.96 · LRV 51
C2-989 · #BBC4C0 · ΔE 4.39 · LRV 54
C2-928 · #C1BCB3 · ΔE 5.69 · LRV 51
C2-959 · #B6C4C1 · ΔE 5.73 · LRV 53
BD16 · #B8BFB5 · ΔE 6.21 · LRV 51

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.49
All gray at Clare →
PNT100-LT-09 · #C1C3C0 · ΔE 2.49 · LRV 54
PNT100-LT-10 · #C1CAC5 · ΔE 5.3 · LRV 58
PNT100-LT-13 · #C2B8B2 · ΔE 6.62 · LRV 49
PNT100-MD-73 · #ADBECB · ΔE 6.73 · LRV 50
PNT100-LT-37 · #B1C6CA · ΔE 7.11 · LRV 54

Farrow & Ball

209 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.07
All gray at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 242 · #C3C1BB · ΔE 4.07 · LRV 53
NO. 27 · #B2BFC5 · ΔE 4.37 · LRV 51
NO. 22 · #B5BBB4 · ΔE 4.85 · LRV 49
NO. 275 · #C0BCB3 · ΔE 5.49 · LRV 50
NO. 266 · #BEC1B3 · ΔE 7.33 · LRV 52

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 6.5
All gray at Backdrop →
BD-UD · #A4B5BB · ΔE 6.5 · LRV 41
BD-RR · #D6CFBE · ΔE 9.71 · LRV 65
BD-LO · #A4C2D2 · ΔE 9.88 · LRV 51
BD-AU · #E5C8B7 · ΔE 14.3 · LRV 60
BD-BG · #E5BEB0 · ΔE 16.37 · LRV 53

Similar Dutch Boy colors

closest in the Dutch Boy deck

The nearest shades to Elephant Trunk within Dutch Boy's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

434-2DB · LRV 52
438-3DB · LRV 49
427-3DB · LRV 52
446-3DB · LRV 53
243-2DB · LRV 50
425-2DB · LRV 52

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #BBBEBF in HSL space. Pair Elephant Trunk with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#BBBEBF + #BFBCBB
TRIADIC
#BBBEBF · #BFBBBE · #BEBFBB
ANALOGOUS
#BBBFBE · #BBBEBF · #BBBCBF

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
1.87:1 fail
Sample text on black
11.23:1 AAA

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

Dutch Boy Elephant Trunk Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Elephant Trunk 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 Dutch Boy 436-3DB directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

The closest Diamond Vogel equivalent of Elephant Trunk is Marseilles (0525). At ΔE 0.63 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same true neutral undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 50 vs 51). If Diamond Vogel is your counter, order Marseilles and you'll get the same color. See the full Marseilles swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

Kompozit's nearest match is Marseilles (0525), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.21). It runs slightly darker (LRV 49 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant Trunk without repainting risk. See the full Marseilles swatch →

Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

Dunn-Edwards's nearest match is Silver Lined (DE6353), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.58). It runs slightly darker (LRV 48 vs 51) and carries a cool blue undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant Trunk without repainting risk. See the full Silver Lined swatch →

Behr Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

Behr's nearest match is Alaskan Gray (HDC-NT-23G), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.62). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 51 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant Trunk without repainting risk. See the full Alaskan Gray swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

PPG / Glidden's nearest match is Maiden Mist (PPG1039-2), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.68). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 51 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant Trunk without repainting risk. See the full Maiden Mist swatch →

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

Sherwin-Williams's nearest match is Samovar Silver (SW 6233), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.69). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 51 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant Trunk without repainting risk. See the full Samovar Silver swatch →

Valspar Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

Valspar's nearest match is Shallow Skies (V116-1), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.88). It runs slightly lighter (LRV 53 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant Trunk without repainting risk. See the full Shallow Skies swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

C2 Paint's nearest match is Cronkite (C2-991), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.96). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 51 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Elephant Trunk without repainting risk. See the full Cronkite swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

At Benjamin Moore, the closest color to Elephant Trunk is Winter Solstice (1605) — very close at ΔE 2.03, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 51 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Winter Solstice swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

At Clare, the closest color to Elephant Trunk is Motor City (PNT100-LT-09) — very close at ΔE 2.49, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 54 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Motor City swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

At Magnolia Home, the closest color to Elephant Trunk is Day-to-day (JG-123) — very close at ΔE 2.68, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 50 vs 51) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Day-to-day swatch →

Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

Farrow & Ball has no exact twin of Elephant Trunk. The nearest is Parma Gray (NO. 27) at ΔE 4.37 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 51 vs 51). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Parma Gray swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Elephant Trunk

Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Elephant Trunk — the nearest deck color, Lost in the 80s (BD-LO), is clearly different (ΔE 9.88). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Dutch Boy 436-3DB instead. See the full Lost in the 80s swatch →

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