Elephant Gray
PPG1005-5 · #8D8480 · LRV 24 — warm red tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
- 1Black Fox7
- 2Pewter Green12
- 3Elephant Gray24
- 4Stardew43
- 5Quietude48
What Color Is Elephant Gray, Really?
Elephant Gray reads as a warm red tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how PPG / Glidden PPG1005-5 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Elephant Gray
Elephant Gray works best as a feature — a single wall, built-ins, a study or dining room — rather than wrapping a whole bright space. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.
How Lighting Changes Elephant Gray
With an LRV of 24, Elephant Gray is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.
Most complaints about Elephant Gray 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 PPG / Glidden PPG1005-5 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 | Classic French GraySW 77 · Sherwin-Williams | 4.6 | 24 | Color page → |
| Behr | Roanoke TaupeHDC-CL-22G · Behr | 1.5 | 24 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Eagle Rock1469 · Benjamin Moore | 2.8 | 24 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Cadet Gray4001-2A · Valspar | 3.4 | 23.5 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Elephant GrayPPG1005-5 · Glidden | 0.6 | 24 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Promising Gray439-4DB · Dutch Boy | 3.6 | 24 | Color page → |
Similar PPG / Glidden Colors
The nearest shades to Elephant Gray within PPG / Glidden'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 #8D8480 in HSL space. Pair Elephant Gray with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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