Color spec
| Brand | PPG / Glidden |
| Name | Antique Silver |
| SKU | PPG1010-4 |
| Hex | #A4A398 |
| RGB | 164, 163, 152 |
| HSL | 55°, 6%, 62% |
| LRV | 36 |
| Undertone | warm yellow tone |
| Family | Gray |
What Color Is Antique Silver, Really?
Antique Silver (PPG1010-4) is a warm mid-gray. Despite the name, there is nothing cold or metallic about it. With a saturation of just 6 percent it reads as a true neutral to the eye, but the small amount of color it does hold pulls toward soft yellow rather than blue. That warmth keeps it from looking clinical, and its LRV of 36 puts it squarely in the middle of the light range, neither pale nor dark.
It is popular because it behaves like a whole-house workhorse. PPG positions it as their answer to the greige neutrals people paint through an entire floor plan, and its warm base flatters wood floors, cabinetry and natural light.
Antique Silver suits homes that want a grounded, lived-in gray without the chilly feel of a blue-based one. It works for traditional and transitional interiors, open plans and rooms with warm finishes.
Antique Silver leans warm, with a gentle yellow cast measured in its color values. But keep the numbers honest: at 6 percent saturation this is a near-neutral gray with only a slight lean, not a color that will shout beige or gold across a room. Most of the time you will simply read it as gray.
The undertone shows up in specific conditions. Against a crisp white trim, the warmth becomes obvious and the gray looks softer. Next to cooler blue-grays it can even look faintly tan. In dim or north light the yellow flattens out and it drifts toward a plain putty gray.
Test it against a stark white card and a warm off-white side by side. If it looks slightly muddy next to pure white, that is the yellow base doing its job. Sample it on more than one wall so you see the undertone in both bright and shadowed spots before committing.
Best Rooms and Uses for Antique Silver
At LRV 36 this is a versatile mid-tone, which makes it a strong whole-room wall color rather than a statement or a pure light neutral. It has enough depth to feel substantial on four walls without darkening a space the way a true charcoal would.
It is well suited to living rooms, bedrooms, hallways and open-plan main floors where you want one calm color to carry through. The warm base makes it comfortable in gathering spaces and flattering in rooms with wood tones. It also works on cabinetry when you want a soft, grounded gray instead of a bright white, and it holds up as an exterior body color on siding.
For trim, most people go lighter and let Antique Silver be the field color. As a front door it is too quiet to make a statement, so save your bolder accents for that. On walls, cabinets and exteriors, though, it is a dependable everyday choice.
How Lighting Changes Antique Silver
With an LRV of 36, Antique Silver sits in the middle of the scale, so it reflects a moderate amount of light and shifts visibly with exposure. It never goes bright, but it can look noticeably heavier in a poorly lit room.
In north-facing rooms the cool, flat light mutes the yellow base and the color reads as a slightly deeper, more sober gray. South-facing rooms bring out its warmth and lift it, making it feel softer and a touch lighter through the day. East light warms it in the morning and cools it by afternoon; west light does the reverse, glowing warm in the evening.
Bulb choice matters at this LRV. Warm white bulbs around 2700K push the yellow undertone forward and cozy the room up. Cooler bulbs at 4000K and above strip the warmth and make it look more neutral, even slightly steely. If you want the warmth, stay warm with your lighting.
Most complaints about Antique Silver 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.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Antique Silver vs Similar Colors
Antique Silver's closest PPG neighbors share its mid depth but split on undertone. Smoky Slate (PPG1028-4, LRV 36) sits at the same lightness but has a stronger green-yellow pull; put them together and Smoky Slate looks earthier and more sage, while Antique Silver stays a cleaner warm gray. Choose Smoky Slate if you want a hint of green, Antique Silver if you want the undertone to stay quiet.
Simmering Smoke (PPG1019-4, LRV 35) is a touch darker and reads warmer and more taupe, with a soft pink-brown base rather than yellow. It feels cozier and more traditional. Antique Silver stays grayer and more flexible next to cool finishes.
Aldabra (PPG14-28, LRV 38) is slightly lighter and yellower again, closer to a greige. If a room eats warmth and you want more of it, Aldabra delivers; if you want restraint, stay with Antique Silver.
Colors That Go With Antique Silver
For trim and ceilings, Pure White (PPG1001-1, LRV 88) gives a clean, high-contrast frame that makes the warm gray look intentional. It is bright enough to keep the scheme from feeling heavy.
To layer a second, lighter wall color in the same family, Limited Gray (PPG1010-3, LRV 56) steps up the ladder from Antique Silver and works for an adjoining room or the upper half of a two-tone wall. For depth, Granite Gray (PPG1010-5, LRV 21) is the darker mate in the same column and suits an accent wall, island or lower cabinets.
Warm it further with Stone Beige (PPG1024-3, LRV 49) as a complementary neutral, or add a real accent with Mariner Blue (PPG1162-7, LRV 8) on a front door or built-in. Natural oak and walnut sit comfortably against it, and both brushed nickel and warm brass metals pair cleanly.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint PPG / Glidden PPG1010-4 directly — but if you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches:
Similar PPG / Glidden colors
closest in the PPG / Glidden deckThe nearest shades to Antique Silver within PPG / Glidden's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #A4A398 in HSL space. Pair Antique Silver with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Is Antique Silver warm or cool?
Antique Silver is a warm gray. Its measured color leans toward soft yellow rather than blue, so it never reads cold or steely the way a blue-based gray does. That said, the warmth is subtle because the color is only 6 percent saturated, so in most rooms you will simply read it as a comfortable, neutral gray.
Is Antique Silver more gray or more brown?
It is more gray than brown. At 6 percent saturation Antique Silver is a near-neutral gray with just a slight warm yellow lean, not a taupe or greige. The warmth softens it and keeps it from looking clinical, but it does not cross over into a true brown. Next to a warm off-white you will notice the gray more clearly.
What trim white goes with Antique Silver?
Pure White (PPG1001-1), with an LRV of 88, is a strong trim and ceiling choice. Its brightness gives clean contrast against Antique Silver's mid-tone body and makes the warm gray look deliberate. If you prefer a softer, less stark frame, Antique White (PPG1015-2, LRV 78) is a warmer alternative that echoes the gray's yellow base.
Does Antique Silver work on cabinets and exteriors?
Yes. Its LRV of 36 gives cabinets a grounded, soft gray look without the brightness of a white, which works well for kitchens and built-ins paired with wood or brass. On exteriors it holds up as a siding body color, where its warm base reads friendly rather than cold. Pair it with a crisp white trim and a darker accent for depth.
What does an LRV of 36 mean for Antique Silver?
LRV measures how much light a color reflects, from 0 (black) to 100 (white). At 36, Antique Silver sits in the middle, so it reflects a moderate amount of light and shifts visibly with the room's exposure. It reads as a comfortable mid-tone: substantial enough for whole walls, but never bright, and it can feel heavier in dim rooms.
How is Antique Silver different from Smoky Slate?
Both sit at LRV 36, so they are equally light, but they differ in undertone. Smoky Slate (PPG1028-4) has a stronger green-yellow pull and reads earthier, closer to a soft sage. Antique Silver stays a cleaner warm gray with its undertone kept quiet. Pick Smoky Slate for a hint of green, Antique Silver when you want the color to stay neutral.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Antique Silver behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY ANTIQUE SILVER ON YOUR ROOM →Ask a Question
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