Color guide · Valspar · Gray

Dolphin at Play

8004-46B · #BFC0C6 · LRV 53 · cool blue tone

8004-46B · #BFC0C6 · LRV 53 — cool blue tone, light — bounces daylight without going clinical.

Dolphin at PlayValspar · 8004-46B
The color, edge to edge.Use your own photo →
Dolphin at Play
VALSPAR · 8004-46B · #BFC0C6
Brand · codeValspar8004-46B · all Valspar grays
LRV53Light — bounces daylight without going clinical.
Undertonecool blue tone
FamilyGray
Hex · RGB · HSL#BFC0C6 · 191, 192, 198 · 231°, 6%, 76%Display values from the brand. Match it at another brand
Sheen we recommendEggshell on walls · satin on trim and cabinetsWhich sheen where, explained
Where it sits, light to dark
  1. 1Stardew43
  2. 2Quietude48
  3. 3Dolphin at Play53
  4. 4Sea Salt63
  5. 5Wickham Gray68
Undertone and depth

What Color Is Dolphin at Play, Really?

Dolphin at Play reads as a cool blue tone — light — bounces daylight without going clinical. The notes below cover how Valspar 8004-46B behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.

Room by room

Best Rooms and Uses for Dolphin at Play

Dolphin at Play is an easy whole-room color for living spaces and bedrooms, and light enough to carry onto trim or a ceiling if you want a soft, seamless look. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.

Light by light

How Lighting Changes Dolphin at Play

At LRV 53, Dolphin at Play is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. Because it carries almost no measurable hue, it stays a true neutral and pairs cleanly with nearly any trim or floor. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.

Test it in your light, not a showroom's

Most complaints about Dolphin at Play are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.

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Visualize in your room
Same color, different store

Need It From Another Brand?

Any paint counter can custom-tint Valspar 8004-46B directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.

Same deck, next chip over

Similar Valspar Colors

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

Contrast, for text and signage
Black text on Dolphin at Play · 11.6 : 1 · passes AA and AAAWhite text on Dolphin at Play · 1.8 : 1 · fails for text

WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #BFC0C6 in HSL space. Pair Dolphin at Play with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#BFC0C6 + #C6C5BF
TRIADIC
#BFC0C6 · #C6BFC0 · #C0C6BF
ANALOGOUS
#BFC4C6 · #BFC0C6 · #C2BFC6

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Jessica Williams

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