PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR · 2021
Ultimate Gray17-5104 · #939597
Pantone named Ultimate Gray the 2021 Color of the Year. Matches multiple brand mid-grays; pair page Illuminating + Gray noted but skip yellow side.
Pantone's PMS color codes are the universal spec for designers, printers, and manufacturers — but Pantone itself doesn't sell wall paint. The closest matches in every major US paint brand are below, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance.
PANTONE ULTIMATE GRAY
RGB 147, 149, 151 LRV 30
Pantone spec
| Year | 2021 |
| Name | Ultimate Gray |
| PMS code | 17-5104 |
| Hex | #939597 |
| RGB | 147, 149, 151 |
| LRV | 30 |
| Undertone | true neutral (no measurable hue) |
| Family | Gray |
Kompozit closest match
KOMPOZIT
Sparrow
SKU 0554 · #999494 · LRV 30
ΔE 3.67 (noticeable)
Closest matches at every US brand
10 brands · top 5 each5 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.
Behr
4,699 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.38
780F-5
#949494
Anonymous
ΔE 1.38 · LRV 30
PPU18-04
#8D9397
Dark Pewter
ΔE 2.17 · LRV 29
PPU18-4
#8D9397
Dark Pewter
ΔE 2.17 · LRV 29
780B-5
#969591
Cheyenne Rock
ΔE 3.44 · LRV 30
HDC-NT-27
#8C9597
Millennium Silver
ΔE 3.46 · LRV 29
Benjamin Moore
3,919 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.74
CSP-20
#939493
Wall
ΔE 1.74 · LRV 29
CW-705
#919799
Tucker
ΔE 2.06 · LRV 30
CSP-50
#939692
Rainstorm
ΔE 3.62 · LRV 30
CSP-10
#9A9593
Soho
ΔE 3.89 · LRV 30
HC-162
#8B9797
Brewster
ΔE 5.14 · LRV 30
Sherwin-Williams
1,526 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.94
SW 9162
#939899
African Gray
ΔE 1.94 · LRV 31
SW 7670
#949392
Gray Shingle
ΔE 2.12 · LRV 29
SW 7664
#90979B
Steely Gray
ΔE 2.41 · LRV 30
SW 7669
#959491
Summit Gray
ΔE 2.96 · LRV 30
SW 9163
#939591
Tin Lizzie
ΔE 3.47 · LRV 30
Valspar
2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.04
4006-1C
#959A9D
Drizzling Mist
ΔE 2.04 · LRV 32
4008-1C
#959896
Stone Mason Gray
ΔE 2.65 · LRV 30.9
4007-1C
#919A9B
Winter Flannel
ΔE 3.79 · LRV 31.5
8004-1D
#979193
Storm Rolling In
ΔE 4.36 · LRV 29
5001-1C
#8A989A
Blue Twilight
ΔE 5.52 · LRV 30.1
Dunn-Edwards
1,696 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.22
DE6368
#999B9B
Walrus
ΔE 2.22 · LRV 33
DE6382
#97969A
Formal Gray
ΔE 2.31 · LRV 31
DE6340
#8F9AA4
Canadian Lake
ΔE 4.95 · LRV 32
DE6319
#8D9A9E
Gray Flannel
ΔE 4.96 · LRV 31
DE6396
#9B9092
Ashen Plum
ΔE 6.7 · LRV 29
PPG / Glidden
2,088 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.41
1012-5
#8E9598
Steeple Gray
ΔE 2.41 · LRV 30
1039-4
#8F989D
Pachyderm
ΔE 3.31 · LRV 31
1009-5
#8E908D
Phoenix Fossil
ΔE 3.43 · LRV 28
1007-5
#97928B
Lazy Afternoon
ΔE 5.47 · LRV 29
1014-5
#9B8E8E
Gray Violet
ΔE 7.54 · LRV 28
Magnolia Home
160 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.68
JG-94
#929898
Times Past
ΔE 2.68 · LRV 31
JG-146
#918F89
Before & After
ΔE 4.91 · LRV 27
JG-136
#9D918B
Homebody
ΔE 7.37 · LRV 29
JG-02
#869A98
Sir Drake
ΔE 8.51 · LRV 30
JG-69
#879B98
Well Watered
ΔE 8.75 · LRV 31
Farrow & Ball
132 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.53
NO. 272
#8D8D8B
Plummett
ΔE 3.53 · LRV 27
NO. 85
#8B9D9B
Oval Room Blue
ΔE 7.95 · LRV 32
NO. 243
#9F9389
Charleston Gray
ΔE 8.15 · LRV 30
NO. 79
#899081
Card Room Green
ΔE 9.73 · LRV 27
NO. 86
#7997A1
Stone Blue
ΔE 10.16 · LRV 29
Clare
78 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.45
PNT100-LT-15
#9CA2A7
Set In Stone
ΔE 4.45 · LRV 36
PNT100-MD-14
#91928C
Shade
ΔE 4.59 · LRV 28
PNT100-LT-32
#9C9CA7
Cosmic Vibes
ΔE 5.68 · LRV 34
PNT100-LT-38
#90A6AE
Good Jeans
ΔE 8.89 · LRV 36
PNT100-MD-39
#7BA0AE
Blue Ivy
ΔE 11.83 · LRV 32
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #939597 in HSL space. Use as a starting point for a coordinated room scheme.
COMPLEMENTARY
#939597 + #979593
TRIADIC
#939597 · #979395 · #959793
ANALOGOUS
#939797 · #939597 · #939397
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