CP
FARROW & BALL · NO. 305

Farrow & Ball Hopper Head#505456 · LRV 9

Hopper Head reads as a true neutral (no measurable hue) — very dark — reads black in most rooms. The notes below cover the spec, what Farrow & Ball No. 305 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

FARROW & BALL HOPPER HEAD
RGB 80, 84, 86 LRV 9

Color spec

Brand Farrow & Ball
Name Hopper Head
SKU No. 305
Hex #505456
RGB 80, 84, 86
HSL 200°, 4%, 33%
LRV 9
Undertone true neutral (no measurable hue)
Family Gray

About Farrow & Ball Hopper Head

At LRV 9, Hopper Head is about as dark as paint gets — it reads near-black on a wall and reveals its character only in direct daylight or under warm bulbs. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. In rooms with little natural light it can feel heavy, so reserve it for spaces you want to feel enveloping.

Hopper Head earns its keep as a statement: accent walls, a front door, cabinetry, a moody powder room, or exterior trim where you want sharp contrast. 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.

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.21
All gray at Dutch Boy →
436-7DB · #535556 · ΔE 1.21 · LRV 9
435-7DB · #51565B · ΔE 1.87 · LRV 9
437-6DB · #585858 · ΔE 2.84 · LRV 10
433-7DB · #4E555C · ΔE 2.87 · LRV 9
422-7DB · #575449 · ΔE 7.69 · LRV 9

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.22
All gray at Behr →
PPU26-01 · #4E5152 · ΔE 1.22 · LRV 8
PPU18-01 · #4F5152 · ΔE 1.44 · LRV 8
PPU18-1 · #4F5152 · ΔE 1.44 · LRV 8
QE-62 · #555657 · ΔE 1.87 · LRV 9
PPU25-01 · #545554 · ΔE 2.26 · LRV 9

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.24
All gray at Benjamin Moore →
1624 · #4E5357 · ΔE 1.24 · LRV 10
2125-20 · #52565A · ΔE 1.46 · LRV 9
1609 · #54585C · ΔE 1.92 · LRV 11
2134-30 · #575553 · ΔE 3.82 · LRV 9
2122-10 · #4B5756 · ΔE 4.82 · LRV 9

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.28
All gray at Magnolia Home →
JG-141 · #505353 · ΔE 1.28 · LRV 9
JG-96 · #51575F · ΔE 3.52 · LRV 9
JG-158 · #585855 · ΔE 3.76 · LRV 10
JG-151 · #4F5853 · ΔE 5.53 · LRV 9
JG-126 · #565950 · ΔE 6.61 · LRV 10

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.42
All gray at Valspar →
V116-3 · #4F5556 · ΔE 1.42 · LRV 8.8
4008-2C · #4E5150 · ΔE 2.14 · LRV 8
5001-2C · #4B5558 · ΔE 2.88 · LRV 8.7
8006-8F · #4B565D · ΔE 3.65 · LRV 9
M231 · #54525A · ΔE 5.69 · LRV 8.6

Dunn-Edwards

2,298 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.89
All gray at Dunn-Edwards →
DE6364 · #515252 · ΔE 1.89 · LRV 8
DET619 · #515153 · ΔE 2.47 · LRV 8
Jet
DE6378 · #575654 · ΔE 3.47 · LRV 9
DE6315 · #4F5552 · ΔE 3.58 · LRV 8
DEB004 · #575452 · ΔE 4.25 · LRV 8

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.55
All gray at PPG / Glidden →
PPG0997-7 · #565958 · ΔE 2.55 · LRV 10
PPG1039-7 · #455156 · ΔE 4 · LRV 8
PPG1035-7 · #455155 · ΔE 4.01 · LRV 8
PPG10-09 · #48545E · ΔE 4.8 · LRV 9
PPG0998-7 · #5C5654 · ΔE 6.02 · LRV 10

Sherwin-Williams

1,947 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.84
All gray at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 7674 · #585858 · ΔE 2.84 · LRV 10
SW 9610 · #57534E · ΔE 5.5 · LRV 9
SW 7048 · #54504A · ΔE 5.96 · LRV 8
SW 7645 · #57534C · ΔE 6.23 · LRV 9
SW 9575 · #59504F · ΔE 7.52 · LRV 8

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.01
All gray at Diamond Vogel →
0508 · #525256 · ΔE 3.01 · LRV 9
H149 · #4B545B · ΔE 3.16 · LRV 8
0501 · #475559 · ΔE 4.51 · LRV 9
0585 · #55554F · ΔE 4.95 · LRV 9
1313 · #5A5058 · ΔE 9.35 · LRV 9

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.16
All gray at Clare →
PNT100-DP-55 · #515052 · ΔE 3.16 · LRV 8
PNT100-DP-42 · #545E66 · ΔE 4.91 · LRV 11
PNT100-DP-54 · #484745 · ΔE 5.38 · LRV 6
PNT100-MD-40 · #41656D · ΔE 11.6 · LRV 12
PNT100-DP-77 · #604B56 · ΔE 14.41 · LRV 8

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.49
All gray at Kompozit →
0480 · #4E5856 · ΔE 4.49 · LRV 9
0487 · #435454 · ΔE 6.53 · LRV 8
0556 · #5E5755 · ΔE 6.64 · LRV 10
1320 · #545663 · ΔE 6.78 · LRV 9
0550 · #60544F · ΔE 9.24 · LRV 9

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 5.05
All gray at C2 Paint →
C2-758 · #4E5863 · ΔE 5.05 · LRV 10
C2-853 · #554E4C · ΔE 6.61 · LRV 8
C2-806 · #5E5553 · ΔE 7.57 · LRV 10
C2-710 · #475B5B · ΔE 7.59 · LRV 10
C2-693 · #465651 · ΔE 7.71 · LRV 9

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 7.53
All gray at Backdrop →
BD-AH · #3D423E · ΔE 7.53 · LRV 6
BD-WK · #3F546B · ΔE 10.09 · LRV 8
BD-LC · #3F4458 · ΔE 10.91 · LRV 6
BD-NE · #3D4D3F · ΔE 11.76 · LRV 7
BD-IT · #5C4435 · ΔE 15.57 · LRV 7

Similar Farrow & Ball colors

closest in the Farrow & Ball deck

The nearest shades to Hopper Head within Farrow & Ball's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

No. 255 · LRV 7
No. 313 · LRV 10
No. 93 · LRV 7
No. 281 · LRV 10
No. 30 · LRV 7
No. 31 · LRV 7

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #505456 in HSL space. Pair Hopper Head with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#505456 + #565250
TRIADIC
#505456 · #565054 · #545650
ANALOGOUS
#505655 · #505456 · #505156

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
7.65:1 AAA
Sample text on black
2.74:1 fail

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

Farrow & Ball Hopper Head Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Hopper Head 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 Farrow & Ball No. 305 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Hopper Head

Dutch Boy's nearest match is Dark and Stormy (436-7DB), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.21). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Hopper Head without repainting risk. See the full Dark and Stormy swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Hopper Head

Benjamin Moore's nearest match is Westcott Navy (1624), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.24). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 9) and carries a cool blue undertone, so it substitutes for Hopper Head without repainting risk. See the full Westcott Navy swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Hopper Head

Magnolia Home's nearest match is Prairie Smoke (JG-141), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.28). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Hopper Head without repainting risk. See the full Prairie Smoke swatch →

Valspar Equivalent of Hopper Head

Valspar's nearest match is To the Tarmac (V116-3), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.42). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8.8 vs 9) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Hopper Head without repainting risk. See the full To the Tarmac swatch →

Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Hopper Head

Dunn-Edwards's nearest match is Cavernous (DE6364), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.89). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 9) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Hopper Head without repainting risk. See the full Cavernous swatch →

Behr Equivalent of Hopper Head

At Behr, the closest color to Hopper Head is Carbon Copy (PPU25-01) — very close at ΔE 2.26, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Carbon Copy swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Hopper Head

At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Hopper Head is Midnight Magic (0508) — very close at ΔE 3.01, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Midnight Magic swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Hopper Head

At Clare, the closest color to Hopper Head is Blackest (PNT100-DP-55) — very close at ΔE 3.16, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 8 vs 9) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Blackest swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Hopper Head

Kompozit has no exact twin of Hopper Head. The nearest is Deep Sea Shadow (0480) at ΔE 4.49 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Deep Sea Shadow swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Hopper Head

PPG / Glidden has no exact twin of Hopper Head. The nearest is Soothing Sapphire (PPG10-09) at ΔE 4.8 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 9). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Soothing Sapphire swatch →

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Hopper Head

Sherwin-Williams doesn't make a true equivalent of Hopper Head — the nearest deck color, Stony Creek (SW 9610), is clearly different (ΔE 5.5). For an exact match, any Sherwin-Williams retailer can custom-tint Farrow & Ball No. 305 instead. See the full Stony Creek swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Hopper Head

C2 Paint doesn't make a true equivalent of Hopper Head — the nearest deck color, Ka Ching (C2-693), is clearly different (ΔE 7.71). For an exact match, any C2 Paint retailer can custom-tint Farrow & Ball No. 305 instead. See the full Ka Ching swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Hopper Head

Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Hopper Head — the nearest deck color, We Three Kings (BD-WK), is clearly different (ΔE 10.09). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Farrow & Ball No. 305 instead. See the full We Three Kings swatch →

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