CP

Valspar Barrister GrayT688 · #989B93 · LRV 32.3

Barrister Gray reads as a neutral with no strong undertone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover the color's details, what Valspar T688 actually looks like under different light, and the closest matches at competing US brands.

VALSPAR BARRISTER GRAY
RGB 152, 155, 147LRV 32.3

Color spec

BrandValspar
NameBarrister Gray
SKUT688
Hex#989B93
RGB152, 155, 147
HSL82°, 4%, 59%
LRV32.3
Undertoneneutral with no strong undertone
FamilyGray
See Valspar Barrister Gray on your own walls — upload a room photo.SEE IT IN YOUR ROOM →

About Valspar Barrister Gray

Barrister Gray sits in the mid-range at LRV 32.3, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.

Barrister 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.

Closest matches by brand

18 brands within ΔE 5

The 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.

Sherwin-Williams

1,947 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.82
All gray at Sherwin-Williams →
SW 9132 · #969C92 · ΔE 1.82 · LRV 32
SW 7660 · #969A96 · ΔE 2.01 · LRV 32
SW 7673 · #9B9893 · ΔE 3.88 · LRV 31
SW 9170 · #9E9991 · ΔE 4.26 · LRV 32

Behr

5,644 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.35
All gray at Behr →
790B-4 · #969D9B · ΔE 3.35 · LRV 33
PMD-56 · #969B8B · ΔE 3.8 · LRV 32
HDC-NT-10A · #999998 · ΔE 4.32 · LRV 32
N140-4 · #969A9B · ΔE 4.77 · LRV 32

Benjamin Moore

4,068 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.17
All gray at Benjamin Moore →
1559 · #9A9A8E · ΔE 2.17 · LRV 32
HC-164 · #979F9B · ΔE 2.99 · LRV 34
CSP-735 · #919E97 · ΔE 4.4 · LRV 33

PPG / Glidden

2,132 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.01
All gray at PPG / Glidden →
PPG0994-5 · #9C9F9A · ΔE 2.01 · LRV 34
PPG0997-5 · #969796 · ΔE 4.14 · LRV 31
PPG1128-5 · #939A8A · ΔE 4.27 · LRV 31

Glidden

3,101 colors in deck · best ΔE 1.03
All gray at Glidden →
50GY 32/046 · #979C95 · ΔE 1.03 · LRV 32
PPG0994-5 · #9B9F9A · ΔE 1.95 · LRV 34
PPG0997-5 · #969795 · ΔE 3.62 · LRV 31
30YY 31/024 · #9B9895 · ΔE 4.64 · LRV 31

Dutch Boy

1,340 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.53
All gray at Dutch Boy →
425-4DB · #99A096 · ΔE 2.53 · LRV 34
438-4DB · #9B9893 · ΔE 3.88 · LRV 31
HGSW 3284 · #969C92 · ΔE 1.82 · LRV 32
HGSW 9132 · #969C92 · ΔE 1.82 · LRV 32
HGSW 1473 · #969A96 · ΔE 2.01 · LRV 32
HGSW 7660 · #969A96 · ΔE 2.01 · LRV 32

Dunn-Edwards

2,298 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.23
All gray at Dunn-Edwards →
DEGR72 · #979995 · ΔE 2.23 · LRV 32
DEGR68 · #999D9A · ΔE 2.6 · LRV 33
DEC789 · #979D9A · ΔE 2.74 · LRV 31
DEGR28 · #9B988F · ΔE 3.11 · LRV 31

Magnolia Home

160 colors in deck · best ΔE 4.3
All gray at Magnolia Home →
JG-94 · #929898 · ΔE 4.3 · LRV 31
JG-75 · #97A399 · ΔE 4.59 · LRV 35
JG-135 · #A19C96 · ΔE 4.74 · LRV 34

Farrow & Ball

302 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.08
All gray at Farrow & Ball →
NO. 25 · #9A9F94 · ΔE 2.08 · LRV 34
NO. 265 · #9EA09D · ΔE 3.23 · LRV 35
NO. 284 · #A09C97 · ΔE 4.47 · LRV 33

Diamond Vogel

1,386 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.36
All gray at Diamond Vogel →
0422 · #999A8D · ΔE 2.36 · LRV 32
0478 · #93A09B · ΔE 4.56 · LRV 34

Hirshfield's

1,469 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.28
All gray at Hirshfield's →
0449 · #99A098 · ΔE 2.28 · LRV 35
0478 · #8E9C98 · ΔE 4.96 · LRV 33

Rodda

357 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.03
All gray at Rodda →
R069 · #9CA19A · ΔE 2.03 · LRV 35
CA191 · #8E9896 · ΔE 4.25 · LRV 30

C2 Paint

580 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.69
All gray at C2 Paint →
C2-940 · #9A9C8E · ΔE 2.69 · LRV 33
C2-954 · #959E95 · ΔE 2.91 · LRV 33
C2-971 · #9C998D · ΔE 3.27 · LRV 32
C2-970 · #9B9995 · ΔE 3.7 · LRV 32

Clare

78 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.15
All gray at Clare →
PNT100-MD-14 · #91928C · ΔE 3.15 · LRV 28

Backdrop

30 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.95
All gray at Backdrop →
BD-NU · #A4A89F · ΔE 3.95 · LRV 38

Rust-Oleum

16 colors in deck · best ΔE 3.14
All gray at Rust-Oleum →
285141 · #8E948A · ΔE 3.14 · LRV 29

Kompozit

1,321 colors in deck · best ΔE 2.28
All gray at Kompozit →
0449 · #99A098 · ΔE 2.28 · LRV 34
0478 · #8E9C98 · ΔE 4.96 · LRV 32

Similar Valspar colors

closest in the Valspar deck

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

5005-2A · LRV 32
V140-4 · LRV 32.3
V120-2 · LRV 32.5
M346 · LRV 32.3
5002-1C · LRV 31.2
M102 · LRV 31.5

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #989B93 in HSL space. Pair Barrister Gray with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#989B93 + #96939B
TRIADIC
#989B93 · #93989B · #9B9398
ANALOGOUS
#9B9A93 · #989B93 · #949B93

Accessibility (WCAG contrast)

Sample text on white
2.82:1fail
Sample text on black
7.44:1AAA

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

Valspar Barrister Gray Equivalents at Other Brands

Matching Barrister Gray 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 Valspar T688 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.

Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Barrister Gray

Sherwin-Williams's nearest match is Acacia Haze (SW 9132), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.82). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Barrister Gray without repainting risk. See the full Acacia Haze swatch →

Behr Equivalent of Barrister Gray

Behr has no exact twin of Barrister Gray. The nearest is Dolphin Gray (HDC-NT-10A) at ΔE 4.32 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Dolphin Gray swatch →

Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Benjamin Moore, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Arctic Shadows (1559) — very close at ΔE 2.17, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3) and carries a warm yellow undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Arctic Shadows swatch →

PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Barrister Gray

PPG / Glidden has no exact twin of Barrister Gray. The nearest is Playing Possum (PPG0997-5) at ΔE 4.14 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 31 vs 32.3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Playing Possum swatch →

Glidden Equivalent of Barrister Gray

Glidden's nearest match is Greycliffe (50GY 32/046), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.03). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Barrister Gray without repainting risk. See the full Greycliffe swatch →

Dutch Boy Equivalent of Barrister Gray

Dutch Boy has no exact twin of Barrister Gray. The nearest is Padlock Gray (438-4DB) at ΔE 3.88 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 31 vs 32.3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Padlock Gray swatch →

HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Barrister Gray

HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams's nearest match is Thorntree (HGSW 3284), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.82). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone, so it substitutes for Barrister Gray without repainting risk. See the full Thorntree swatch →

Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Dunn-Edwards, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Kick the Can (DEGR72) — very close at ΔE 2.23, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Kick the Can swatch →

Magnolia Home Equivalent of Barrister Gray

Magnolia Home has no exact twin of Barrister Gray. The nearest is Watering Can (JG-135) at ΔE 4.74 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 32.3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Watering Can swatch →

Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Farrow & Ball, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Pigeon (NO. 25) — very close at ΔE 2.08, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 32.3) and carries a cool green undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Pigeon swatch →

Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Everlasting Sage (0422) — very close at ΔE 2.36, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3) and carries a warm yellow undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Everlasting Sage swatch →

Hirshfield's Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Hirshfield's, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Cannon Ball (0449) — very close at ΔE 2.28, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 35 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Cannon Ball swatch →

Rodda Equivalent of Barrister Gray

Rodda has no exact twin of Barrister Gray. The nearest is Spruce (CA191) at ΔE 4.25 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly darker (LRV 30 vs 32.3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Spruce swatch →

C2 Paint Equivalent of Barrister Gray

C2 Paint has no exact twin of Barrister Gray. The nearest is Tin Man (C2-970) at ΔE 3.7 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 32 vs 32.3). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Tin Man swatch →

Clare Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Clare, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Shade (PNT100-MD-14) — very close at ΔE 3.15, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 28 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Shade swatch →

Rust-Oleum Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Rust-Oleum, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Country Gray (285141) — very close at ΔE 3.14, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 29 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Country Gray swatch →

Kompozit Equivalent of Barrister Gray

At Kompozit, the closest color to Barrister Gray is Cannon Ball (0449) — very close at ΔE 2.28, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 34 vs 32.3) and carries a true neutral undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Cannon Ball swatch →

EXPLORE MORE