Color guide · Valspar · Gray

Horseshoe

8004-48E · #888591 · LRV 24 · cool blue tone

8004-48E · #888591 · LRV 24 — cool blue tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.

HorseshoeValspar · 8004-48E
The color, edge to edge.Use your own photo →
Horseshoe
VALSPAR · 8004-48E · #888591
Brand · codeValspar8004-48E · all Valspar grays
LRV24Dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
Undertonecool blue tone
FamilyGray
Hex · RGB · HSL#888591 · 136, 133, 145 · 255°, 5%, 55%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. 1Black Fox7
  2. 2Pewter Green12
  3. 3Horseshoe24
  4. 4Stardew43
  5. 5Quietude48
Undertone and depth

What Color Is Horseshoe, Really?

Horseshoe reads as a cool blue tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how Valspar 8004-48E behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.

Room by room

Best Rooms and Uses for Horseshoe

Horseshoe 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.

Light by light

How Lighting Changes Horseshoe

With an LRV of 24, Horseshoe 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.

Test it in your light, not a showroom's

Most complaints about Horseshoe 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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Same color, different store

Need It From Another Brand?

Any paint counter can custom-tint Valspar 8004-48E 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 Horseshoe 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 Horseshoe · 5.8 : 1 · passes AAWhite text on Horseshoe · 3.6 : 1 · large text only

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 #888591 in HSL space. Pair Horseshoe with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#888591 + #8E9185
TRIADIC
#888591 · #918885 · #859188
ANALOGOUS
#858891 · #888591 · #8E8591

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Jessica Williams

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