Payphone
434-3DB · #A6AEB2 · LRV 41 — cool blue-green tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Pewter Green12
- 2Retreat21
- 3Payphone41
- 4Upward57
- 5Sea Salt63
What Color Is Payphone, Really?
Payphone reads as a cool blue-green tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how Dutch Boy 434-3DB behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Payphone
Payphone is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.
How Lighting Changes Payphone
Payphone sits in the mid-range at LRV 41, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its teal 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 Payphone 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 434-3DB 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 | Morning FogSW 6255 · Sherwin-Williams | 0.9 | 42 | Color page → |
| Behr | Tin FoilN500-3 · Behr | 2.5 | 43 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Gull Wing Gray2134-50 · Benjamin Moore | 1.0 | 42 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Metropolis4005-1C · Valspar | 2.5 | 41 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Gosling GrayPPG0993-3 · PPG / Glidden | 2.5 | 42 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Shaded Brook30BG 42/049 · Glidden | 1.7 | 42 | Color page → |
Similar Dutch Boy Colors
The nearest shades to Payphone 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 #A6AEB2 in HSL space. Pair Payphone with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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