Sherwin-Williams Downing Sand#CBBCA5 · LRV 51
Downing Sand reads as a red-orange / warm — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover the spec, what Sherwin-Williams SW 2822 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Downing Sand |
| SKU | SW 2822 |
| Hex | #CBBCA5 |
| RGB | 203, 188, 165 |
| HSL | 36°, 27%, 72% |
| LRV | 51 |
| Undertone | red-orange / warm |
| Family | Neutral |
About Sherwin-Williams Downing Sand
At LRV 51, Downing Sand is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. 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. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.
Downing Sand 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. Greige-leaning neutrals like this are the safe whole-home choice when you want warmth without committing to a color.
Kompozit alternative
The closest hex in the Kompozit deck, ranked by ΔE2000 (perceptual color difference). ΔE under 2 is indistinguishable to most eyes; under 5 is a very close visual match.
Closest matches at every US brand
9 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 neutral from that brand.
PPG / Glidden
Benjamin Moore
Behr
Farrow & Ball
Dunn-Edwards
Valspar
Magnolia Home
Backdrop
Clare
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Downing Sand within Sherwin-Williams'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 #CBBCA5 in HSL space. Pair Downing Sand 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.