CP
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS · SW 9648

Sherwin-Williams Frosted Fern#A7A796 · LRV 38

Frosted Fern reads as a yellow / warm — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover the spec, what Sherwin-Williams SW 9648 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

SHERWIN-WILLIAMS FROSTED FERN
RGB 167, 167, 150 LRV 38

Color spec

Brand Sherwin-Williams
Name Frosted Fern
SKU SW 9648
Hex #A7A796
RGB 167, 167, 150
HSL 60°, 9%, 62%
LRV 38
Undertone yellow / warm
Family Gray

About Sherwin-Williams Frosted Fern

Frosted Fern 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 yellow 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.

Frosted Fern 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.

Closest matches at every US brand

13 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

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.53
All gray at Behr →
PPU10-16 · #A7A897 · ΔE 0.53 · LRV 38
HDC-NT-01 · #A5A495 · ΔE 1.29 · LRV 37
N370-4A · #A7A699 · ΔE 1.83 · LRV 38
MQ6-27 · #ACA995 · ΔE 1.83 · LRV 39
PPU25-05 · #A8A89D · ΔE 2.59 · LRV 39

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 0.97
All gray at PPG / Glidden →
PPG1031-3 · #A6A897 · ΔE 0.97 · LRV 38
PPG11-20 · #ADAA96 · ΔE 1.95 · LRV 40
PPG1032-3 · #ADAA9A · ΔE 1.96 · LRV 40
PPG14-28 · #AAA593 · ΔE 2.47 · LRV 38
PPG1007-4 · #AAA89F · ΔE 3.88 · LRV 39

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.24
All gray at C2 Paint →
C2-957 · #A7A799 · ΔE 1.24 · LRV 38
C2-925 · #A5A38F · ΔE 1.8 · LRV 36
C2-908 · #A6A290 · ΔE 2.33 · LRV 36
C2-797 · #AAA599 · ΔE 3.73 · LRV 38
C2-926 · #ABA28E · ΔE 4.52 · LRV 36

Valspar

2,858 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.27
All gray at Valspar →
M311 · #AAAB99 · ΔE 1.27 · LRV 39.9
8004-29D · #A9AA9C · ΔE 1.54 · LRV 40
V144-4 · #A9AA9C · ΔE 1.54 · LRV 39.7
T679 · #ACA996 · ΔE 1.69 · LRV 39.5
V145-3 · #A8A89F · ΔE 3.5 · LRV 38.7

Dunn-Edwards

2,298 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.29
All gray at Dunn-Edwards →
DET512 · #A5A495 · ΔE 1.29 · LRV 37
DEGR36 · #ADA791 · ΔE 3.17 · LRV 38
DEGR35 · #AEA898 · ΔE 3.25 · LRV 39
DEGR33 · #A8A295 · ΔE 4.02 · LRV 36
DEBN63 · #ACA38E · ΔE 4.47 · LRV 37

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.68
All gray at Kompozit →
0421 · #A7A89B · ΔE 1.68 · LRV 39
0372 · #ADA791 · ΔE 3.17 · LRV 39
0574 · #A5A39A · ΔE 3.93 · LRV 37
0561 · #AEA69B · ΔE 5.56 · LRV 39
0226 · #B1A591 · ΔE 5.88 · LRV 38

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.09
All gray at Dutch Boy →
423-3DB · #ABA793 · ΔE 2.09 · LRV 38
440-3DB · #AEA597 · ΔE 5.19 · LRV 38
442-4DB · #ABA39A · ΔE 6.32 · LRV 37
443-3DB · #ADA295 · ΔE 6.55 · LRV 37
405-3DB · #ADA193 · ΔE 6.86 · LRV 37

Benjamin Moore

3,934 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.11
All gray at Benjamin Moore →
HC-108 · #AEA897 · ΔE 3.11 · LRV 39
1482 · #A4A79E · ΔE 3.51 · LRV 38
473 · #A5AA92 · ΔE 3.65 · LRV 39
CSP-140 · #AAA393 · ΔE 3.78 · LRV 37
CSP-200 · #AEA497 · ΔE 5.98 · LRV 38

Farrow & Ball

209 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.31
All gray at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 19 · #A1A189 · ΔE 3.31 · LRV 35
NO. 5 · #B2ADA0 · ΔE 4.01 · LRV 42
NO. 17 · #AFA592 · ΔE 4.94 · LRV 38
NO. 11 · #B1AC8E · ΔE 5 · LRV 41
NO. 6 · #B3A28E · ΔE 8.35 · LRV 37

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.62
All gray at Diamond Vogel →
0574 · #A8A79E · ΔE 3.62 · LRV 38
0435 · #9FA892 · ΔE 4.56 · LRV 37
0568 · #A9A39A · ΔE 5.38 · LRV 37
0233 · #B0A592 · ΔE 5.45 · LRV 38
0218 · #ABA296 · ΔE 5.8 · LRV 37

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.66
All gray at Backdrop →
BD-NU · #A4A89F · ΔE 3.66 · LRV 38
BD-LF · #A4AB95 · ΔE 3.86 · LRV 35
BD-CT · #A89E8A · ΔE 5.37 · LRV 33
BD-AN · #A89886 · ΔE 8.91 · LRV 33
BD-UD · #A4B5BB · ΔE 12.57 · LRV 41

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.91
All gray at Magnolia Home →
JG-114 · #AAA497 · ΔE 3.91 · LRV 37
JG-15 · #A7A9A3 · ΔE 4.87 · LRV 39
JG-137 · #A3A7A1 · ΔE 4.93 · LRV 38
JG-118 · #ACA9A3 · ΔE 5.65 · LRV 40
JG-166 · #B1A789 · ΔE 5.91 · LRV 39

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 8.08
All gray at Clare →
PNT100-DP-78 · #99AAA4 · ΔE 8.08 · LRV 38
PNT100-MD-64 · #9FA47B · ΔE 8.36 · LRV 35
PNT100-MD-43 · #9AB0AB · ΔE 9.79 · LRV 41
PNT100-MD-58 · #8EA992 · ΔE 10.42 · LRV 36
PNT100-LT-15 · #9CA2A7 · ΔE 11.01 · LRV 36

Similar Sherwin-Williams colors

closest in the Sherwin-Williams deck

The nearest shades to Frosted Fern 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 6199 · LRV 38
SW 7639 · LRV 38
SW 7052 · LRV 39
SW 2821 · LRV 36
SW 6192 · LRV 37
SW 9597 · LRV 36

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #A7A796 in HSL space. Pair Frosted Fern with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#A7A796 + #9696A7
TRIADIC
#A7A796 · #96A7A7 · #A796A7
ANALOGOUS
#A79F96 · #A7A796 · #9FA796

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
2.44:1 fail
Sample text on black
8.61:1 AAA

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

Sherwin-Williams Frosted Fern Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Frosted Fern 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 9648 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Behr Equivalent of Frosted Fern

The closest Behr equivalent of Frosted Fern is Simply Sage (PPU10-16). At ΔE 0.53 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same warm yellow undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 38 vs 38). If Behr is your counter, order Simply Sage and you'll get the same color. See the full Simply Sage swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Frosted Fern

The closest PPG / Glidden equivalent of Frosted Fern is Wandering Willow (PPG1031-3). At ΔE 0.97 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same warm yellow undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 38 vs 38). If PPG / Glidden is your counter, order Wandering Willow and you'll get the same color. See the full Wandering Willow swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Frosted Fern

C2 Paint's nearest match is Bramble (C2-957), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.24). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 38 vs 38) and carries a warm yellow undertone, so it substitutes for Frosted Fern without repainting risk. See the full Bramble swatch →

Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Dunn-Edwards's nearest match is Whale Watching (DET512), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.29). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 37 vs 38) and carries a warm yellow undertone, so it substitutes for Frosted Fern without repainting risk. See the full Whale Watching swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Kompozit's nearest match is Silverado Ranch (0421), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.68). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 39 vs 38) and carries a warm yellow undertone, so it substitutes for Frosted Fern without repainting risk. See the full Silverado Ranch swatch →

Valspar Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Valspar's nearest match is Afternoon Nap (T679), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.69). It runs slightly lighter (LRV 39.5 vs 38) and carries a warm yellow undertone, so it substitutes for Frosted Fern without repainting risk. See the full Afternoon Nap swatch →

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Frosted Fern

At Dutch Boy, the closest color to Frosted Fern is Greywood (423-3DB) — very close at ΔE 2.09, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 38 vs 38) and carries a warm yellow undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Greywood swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Diamond Vogel has no exact twin of Frosted Fern. The nearest is Shark Fin (0574) at ΔE 3.62 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 38 vs 38). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Shark Fin swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Benjamin Moore has no exact twin of Frosted Fern. The nearest is Chateau (CSP-140) at ΔE 3.78 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 37 vs 38). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Chateau swatch →

Backdrop Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Backdrop has no exact twin of Frosted Fern. The nearest is Le Freak (BD-LF) at ΔE 3.86 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly darker (LRV 35 vs 38). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Le Freak swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Magnolia Home has no exact twin of Frosted Fern. The nearest is Quaint Cottage (JG-114) at ΔE 3.91 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 37 vs 38). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Quaint Cottage swatch →

Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Farrow & Ball has no exact twin of Frosted Fern. The nearest is Light Gray (NO. 17) at ΔE 4.94 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 38 vs 38). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Light Gray swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Frosted Fern

Clare doesn't make a true equivalent of Frosted Fern — the nearest deck color, Mellow Mood (PNT100-DP-78), is clearly different (ΔE 8.08). For an exact match, any Clare retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 9648 instead. See the full Mellow Mood swatch →

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