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SHERWIN-WILLIAMS · SW 6010

Sherwin-Williams Flexible Gray#B1A3A1 · LRV 38

Flexible Gray reads as a red / warm — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover the spec, what Sherwin-Williams SW 6010 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

SEE IN A ROOM → CALCULATE PAINT NEEDED →
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS FLEXIBLE GRAY
RGB 177, 163, 161 LRV 38

Color spec

Brand Sherwin-Williams
Name Flexible Gray
SKU SW 6010
Hex #B1A3A1
RGB 177, 163, 161
HSL 7°, 9%, 66%
LRV 38
Undertone red / warm
Family Gray

About Sherwin-Williams Flexible Gray

Flexible Gray sits in the mid-range at LRV 38, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its red 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.

Flexible Gray is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.

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.

KOMPOZIT
Cozy Cover
SKU 0140 · #B7A299 · LRV 38
ΔE 3.88 (noticeable)
SHOP KOMPOZIT ON AMAZON →

Closest matches at every US brand

9 brands · top 5 each

5 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 gray from that brand.

Behr

4,699 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.11
All gray at Behr →
HDC-NT-19
#B5A5A2
Lavender Suede
ΔE 1.11 · LRV 39
MQ1-36
#B5A5A6
Object Of Desire
ΔE 2.03 · LRV 39
HDC-CT-18
#B19FA1
Violet Vista
ΔE 2.95 · LRV 37
N180-4
#B1A198
Moleskin
ΔE 3.55 · LRV 37
N180-4
#ABA6A0
Moleskin
ΔE 5.43 · LRV 38

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.36
All gray at Valspar →
8004-3D
#B0A5A4
Mystical Gray
ΔE 1.36 · LRV 39
V127-4
#B0A5A4
Mystical Gray
ΔE 1.36 · LRV 39
8004-5D
#B7A49F
Embarrassed Shadow
ΔE 2.29 · LRV 39
V128-4
#B7A49F
Embarrassed Shadow
ΔE 2.29 · LRV 39.1
T572
#B1A4A7
Heather Bay
ΔE 2.53 · LRV 38.8

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.16
All gray at Benjamin Moore →
2113-50
#B1A2A4
Mauve Desert
ΔE 2.16 · LRV
1453
#AFA8AE
Pebble Creek
ΔE 4.78 · LRV 40
AF-675
#A5A2A0
Fusion
ΔE 5.3 · LRV 37
CSP-200
#AEA497
Quicksand
ΔE 6.69 · LRV
CSP-70
#AFA79B
Upper West Side
ΔE 6.88 · LRV 39

Dunn-Edwards

1,696 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.81
All gray at Dunn-Edwards →
DE6032
#B29E9D
Hazelnut
ΔE 2.81 · LRV 36
DE6388
#AFA8A9
Smoky Mountain
ΔE 3.37 · LRV 40
DE6074
#BCA59A
Frontier Land
ΔE 4.96 · LRV 40
DE6011
#BAA3A9
Magical Mauve
ΔE 5.55 · LRV 39
DE6375
#A9AAAB
Castlerock
ΔE 7.17 · LRV 40

PPG / Glidden

2,088 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.11
All gray at PPG / Glidden →
1017-4
#B7A9A2
Riveter Rose
ΔE 3.11 · LRV 41
1004-4
#B2AAAA
Silver Service
ΔE 3.15 · LRV 41
18-05
#BB9E9B
Awakening
ΔE 5.61 · LRV 37
1007-4
#ABA89E
Hot Stone
ΔE 8.06 · LRV 39
1010-4
#A4A7A4
Stepping Stone
ΔE 8.91 · LRV 38

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.96
All gray at Magnolia Home →
JG-99
#B0AAAB
Vintage Collection
ΔE 3.96 · LRV 41
JG-110
#B5A89A
Rustic Oak
ΔE 6.49 · LRV 40
JG-118
#ACA9A3
Refinished
ΔE 6.52 · LRV 40
JG-114
#AAA497
Quaint Cottage
ΔE 8.08 · LRV 37
JG-15
#A7A9A3
Weathered Windmill
ΔE 9.18 · LRV 39

Farrow & Ball

132 colors in deck · best ΔE 6.86
All gray at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 28
#B49D8D
Dead Salmon
ΔE 6.86 · LRV 36
NO. 265
#A2A29D
Manor House Gray
ΔE 7.86 · LRV 36
NO. 6
#B6A38F
London Stone
ΔE 8.31 · LRV 38
NO. 17
#B4A693
Light Gray
ΔE 8.53 · LRV 39
NO. 25
#A1A093
Pigeon
ΔE 10.37 · LRV 35

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 8.59
All gray at Backdrop →
BD-AN
#A89886
Anita
ΔE 8.59 · LRV 33
BD-CT
#A89E8A
Carry the Two
ΔE 10.12 · LRV 33
BD-RO
#D2A299
Rosita
ΔE 11.03 · LRV 38
BD-NU
#A4A89F
Nuevo
ΔE 11.1 · LRV 38
BD-LF
#A4AB95
Le Freak
ΔE 16.24 · LRV 35

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 8.6
All gray at Clare →
PNT100-LT-32
#9C9CA7
Cosmic Vibes
ΔE 8.6 · LRV 34
PNT100-LT-15
#9CA2A7
Set In Stone
ΔE 10.01 · LRV 36
PNT100-DP-78
#99AAA4
Mellow Mood
ΔE 16.16 · LRV 38
PNT100-LT-38
#90A6AE
Good Jeans
ΔE 17.37 · LRV 36
PNT100-MD-43
#9AB0AB
Make Waves
ΔE 17.87 · LRV 41

Similar Sherwin-Williams colors

closest in the Sherwin-Williams deck

The nearest shades to Flexible Gray within Sherwin-Williams's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

SW 6017
Intuitive
LRV 38
SW 7080
Quest Gray
LRV 39
SW 6031
Glamour
LRV 37
SW 6003
Proper Gray
LRV 40
SW 7024
Functional Gray
LRV 37
SW 7017
Dorian Gray
LRV 39

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #B1A3A1 in HSL space. Pair Flexible Gray with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#B1A3A1 + #A1AFB1
TRIADIC
#B1A3A1 · #A1B1A3 · #A3A1B1
ANALOGOUS
#B1A1A7 · #B1A3A1 · #B1ABA1

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
2.44:1 fail
Sample text on black
8.62:1 AAA

WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.

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