Passive
HGSW 1487 · #CBCCC9 · LRV 60 — neutral with no strong undertone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
- 1Stardew43
- 2Quietude48
- 3Passive60
- 4Gray Owl65
- 5Glass Slipper70
What Color Is Passive, Really?
Passive reads as a neutral with no strong undertone — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover how HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams HGSW 1487 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Passive
Passive 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.
How Lighting Changes Passive
At LRV 60, Passive 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.
Most complaints about Passive 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 HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams HGSW 1487 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 | PassiveSW 7064 · Sherwin-Williams | 0.0 | 60 | Color page → |
| Behr | Mexican SilverQE-49 · Behr | 1.0 | 60 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | PerspectiveCSP-5 · Benjamin Moore | 0.5 | 60 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Bay Waves4008-1A · Valspar | 0.8 | 61.3 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Steely GazePPG0996-2 · PPG / Glidden | 1.3 | 60 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Steely GazePPG0996-2 · Glidden | 1.3 | 60 | Color page → |
Similar HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Passive within HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams'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 #CBCCC9 in HSL space. Pair Passive with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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