Sherwin-Williams Elephant Ear#988F85 · LRV 28
Elephant Ear reads as a red-orange / warm — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover the spec, what Sherwin-Williams SW 9168 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Elephant Ear |
| SKU | SW 9168 |
| Hex | #988F85 |
| RGB | 152, 143, 133 |
| HSL | 32°, 8%, 56% |
| LRV | 28 |
| Undertone | red-orange / warm |
| Family | Neutral |
About Sherwin-Williams Elephant Ear
Elephant Ear sits in the mid-range at LRV 28, 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.
Elephant Ear is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. 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
Behr
Valspar
Farrow & Ball
Magnolia Home
Dunn-Edwards
Benjamin Moore
Clare
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Elephant Ear 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 #988F85 in HSL space. Pair Elephant Ear 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.