Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Forged Steel |
| SKU | SW 9565 |
| Hex | #5B5B59 |
| RGB | 91, 91, 89 |
| HSL | 60°, 1%, 35% |
| LRV | 10 |
| Undertone | neutral with no strong undertone |
| 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 by brand
16 brands within ΔE 5The closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Only colors within ΔE 5 (close enough to substitute on a wall) are shown — brands with no real match are left off. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all gray from that brand.
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
PPG / Glidden
Glidden
Dutch Boy
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
Dunn-Edwards
Magnolia Home
Farrow & Ball
Diamond Vogel
Hirshfield's
Rodda
C2 Paint
Clare
Kompozit
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 →
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 →
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 →
Glidden Equivalent of Forged Steel
At Glidden, the closest color to Forged Steel is Zombie (PPG1010-7) — very close at ΔE 2.51, 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 Zombie 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 →
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Forged Steel
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams's nearest match is Peppercorn (HGSW 1491), 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 Peppercorn 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 →
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 →
Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Forged Steel
At Farrow & Ball, the closest color to Forged Steel is Beetle Black (NO. G16) — very close at ΔE 2.57, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Beetle Black 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 →
Hirshfield's Equivalent of Forged Steel
Hirshfield's's nearest match is Zen Retreat (0535), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.33). It runs slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Forged Steel without repainting risk. See the full Zen Retreat swatch →
Rodda Equivalent of Forged Steel
At Rodda, the closest color to Forged Steel is Space Dive (R023) — very close at ΔE 2.17, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 10) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Space Dive 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 →
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 →