Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Forged Steel |
| SKU | SW 9565 |
| Hex | #5B5B59 |
| RGB | 91, 91, 89 |
| HSL | 60°, 1%, 35% |
| LRV | 10 |
| Undertone | true neutral (no measurable hue) |
| Family | Gray |
About Sherwin-Williams Forged Steel
With an LRV of 10, Forged Steel 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.
Forged Steel 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.
Closest matches at every US brand
13 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 gray from that brand.
Behr
Magnolia Home
Kompozit
C2 Paint
Benjamin Moore
Dutch Boy
PPG / Glidden
Dunn-Edwards
Valspar
Diamond Vogel
Farrow & Ball
Clare
Backdrop
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Forged Steel 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 #5B5B59 in HSL space. Pair Forged Steel 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.
Sherwin-Williams Forged Steel Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Forged Steel from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 9565 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Behr Equivalent of Forged Steel
Behr's nearest match is Wright Brown (N140-6), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.21). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Forged Steel without repainting risk. See the full Wright Brown swatch →
Magnolia Home Equivalent of Forged Steel
Magnolia Home's nearest match is Conservatory (JG-158), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.26). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Forged Steel without repainting risk. See the full Conservatory swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Forged Steel
Kompozit's nearest match is Zen Retreat (0535), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.33). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Forged Steel without repainting risk. See the full Zen Retreat swatch →
Dutch Boy Equivalent of Forged Steel
Dutch Boy's nearest match is Ship's Anchor (437-6DB), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.63). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Forged Steel without repainting risk. See the full Ship's Anchor swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Forged Steel
PPG / Glidden's nearest match is Zombie (PPG1010-7), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.98). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Forged Steel without repainting risk. See the full Zombie swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Forged Steel
At Dunn-Edwards, the closest color to Forged Steel is Iron Fixture (DE6384) — very close at ΔE 2.01, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Iron Fixture swatch →
C2 Paint Equivalent of Forged Steel
At C2 Paint, the closest color to Forged Steel is Jabberwocky (C2-885) — very close at ΔE 2.09, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Jabberwocky swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Forged Steel
At Benjamin Moore, the closest color to Forged Steel is Ambler Slate (CW-685) — very close at ΔE 2.13, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Ambler Slate swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of Forged Steel
At Valspar, the closest color to Forged Steel is Sable Evening (5006-2C) — very close at ΔE 2.69, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9.9 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Sable Evening swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Forged Steel
Diamond Vogel has no exact twin of Forged Steel. The nearest is Telfor Tower (H097) at ΔE 3.98 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Telfor Tower swatch →
Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Forged Steel
Farrow & Ball doesn't make a true equivalent of Forged Steel — the nearest deck color, Reduced Green (NO. 313), is clearly different (ΔE 6.22). For an exact match, any Farrow & Ball retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 9565 instead. See the full Reduced Green swatch →
Clare Equivalent of Forged Steel
Clare doesn't make a true equivalent of Forged Steel — the nearest deck color, Goodnight Moon (PNT100-DP-42), is clearly different (ΔE 6.68). For an exact match, any Clare retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 9565 instead. See the full Goodnight Moon swatch →
Backdrop Equivalent of Forged Steel
Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Forged Steel — the nearest deck color, We Three Kings (BD-WK), is clearly different (ΔE 13.44). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 9565 instead. See the full We Three Kings swatch →