Butternut
SW 6389 · #CC9B5C · LRV 37 — warm red-orange tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Determined Orange22
- 2Tart Orange31
- 3Butternut37
- 4Venetian Plaster42
- 5Colonial Yellow59
What Color Is Butternut, Really?
Butternut reads as a warm red-orange tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how Sherwin-Williams SW 6389 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Butternut
Butternut is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Earthy oranges and terracottas warm up dining rooms and entries.
How Lighting Changes Butternut
Butternut sits in the mid-range at LRV 37, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its orange undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.
Most complaints about Butternut 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 Sherwin-Williams SW 6389 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behr | Hammered GoldUL150-2 · Behr | 0.4 | 37 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | Delightful Golden2158-30 · Benjamin Moore | 2.5 | 36 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Sunbaked StrawP089 · Valspar | 0.9 | 37.4 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | Bran MuffinPPG16-14 · PPG / Glidden | 0.6 | 36 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Bran MuffinPPG16-14 · Glidden | 1.1 | 36 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Bauhaus Gold214-5DB · Dutch Boy | 2.6 | 38 | Color page → |
Similar Sherwin-Williams Colors
The nearest shades to Butternut within 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 #CC9B5C in HSL space. Pair Butternut with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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