Paint colors · Sherwin-Williams, as published by the brand

Downing Slate SW 2819: hex #777F86, LRV and undertone

Downing Slate (SW 2819) by Sherwin-Williams is #777F86 with an LRV of 20.761. It measures as a cool neutral with a blue undertone, and black text on it reaches 5.16:1.

By Paul Gunder. Every value is computed from published standards; see how ColorPlum works.

Updated November 11, 2026

Sherwin-WilliamsDowning SlateSW 2819

Hex: #777F86
RGB: 119, 127, 134
LRV: 20.761
Undertone: Cool neutral, blue undertone

LRV 20.761. Dark: a deep color that absorbs most light; often used on cabinets, doors and accent walls.

A neutral with a blue cast (OKLCH hue 244°, chroma 0.014). Expect the blue to show more in warm evening light and next to cooler whites.

Coordinating colors Sherwin-Williams suggests

Monorail SilverSW 7663
SommelierSW 7595

Closest colors from other brands

ΔE is the CIEDE2000 difference between the published values: under 2 is hard to tell apart on a wall, 2 to 5 is a visible but related shade. Always compare real chips before you buy.

Name, code, LRV and color value as published by Sherwin-Williams on its color page (checked 2026-11-11). A screen can only approximate paint: sheen, lighting and the screen itself all change it, so check a physical sample. ColorPlum is not affiliated with Sherwin-Williams.

ColorPlum swatchDowning Slatemedium gray

HEX: #777F86
RGB: rgb(119, 127, 134)
HSL: hsl(208, 6%, 50%)

Best text on it: black at 5.16:1

Build a palette Make a gradient Check contrast Wallpaper

Downing Slate#777F86

Every code for Downing Slate

HEX#777F86
RGBrgb(119, 127, 134)
HSLhsl(208, 6%, 50%)
HSV208°, 11%, 53%
CMYK11%, 5%, 0%, 47%
Lablab(52.7% -2 -4.9)
OKLCHoklch(59.2% 0.014 244.4)
Decimal7831430

Tints, shades and tones

From white to black in 10% steps, with Downing Slate in the middle. Tap a code to copy it.

90%#F1F2F3
80%#E4E5E7
70%#D6D9DB
60%#C9CCCF
50%#BBBFC3
40%#ADB2B6
30%#A0A5AA
20%#92999E
10%#858C92
Base#777F86
10%#6B7279
20%#5F666B
30%#53595E
40%#474C50
50%#3C4043
60%#303336
70%#242628
80%#18191B
90%#0C0D0D

Tones (mixed with gray)

10%#787F85
20%#797F85
30%#7A7F84
40%#7B7F84
50%#7C8083
60%#7C8082
70%#7D8082
80%#7E8081
90%#7F8081

Matching colors

Complementary

#777F86
#867E77

Analogous

#778686
#777F86
#777886

Triadic

#777F86
#86777F
#7F8677

Split complementary

#777F86
#867778
#868677

Tetradic (square)

#777F86
#867786
#867E77
#788677

Monochromatic

#2F3235
#53595D
#777F86
#9FA5AA
#C8CBCE

Downing Slate in 3D color space

OKLab, the space ColorPlum does its math in: lightness runs up the pole, hue goes around it and saturation grows outward. The faint shell is every color a screen can show (saturation is drawn wider than lightness so hues separate). Drag to turn it.

Downing Slate with its complement, its triad and its tint and shade

Downing Slate
Triad #86777F
Triad #7F8677
Complement
50% tint
50% shade

Downing Slate in use

New collectionAutumn edit

Card body text stays dark for reading; downing slate carries the header and the button.

Shop nowTag

Headline in Downing Slate

A paragraph with a link in dark text, because this color is too light for text on white; use it for fills instead.

How it looks with color-vision deficiency

A simulation (Machado and colleagues, 2009) of how the color and its complement read without one type of cone.

Typical color vision#777F86
Protanopia (no red cones)#7C7F86
Deuteranopia (no green cones)#7A7D86
Tritanopia (no blue cones)#738181

Contrast and readability

Pairing	Ratio	WCAG 2.2
as text on white	4.06:1	AA AA large AAA
as text on black	5.16:1	AA AA large AAA
white text on it	4.06:1	AA AA large AAA
black text on it	5.16:1	AA AA large AAA
on your background	3.55:1	AA AA large AAA

Try a background

Export

:root {
  --downing-slate: #777f86;
  --downing-slate-rgb: 119 127 134;
  --downing-slate-on: #000000;
}

On this page

Downing Slate, listed as SW 2819 by Sherwin-Williams, is a medium gray with the hex value #777F86. Its RGB triplet is 119, 127, 134, so blue leads red by only fifteen steps. That small gap is why most people read it as plain gray first and notice the blue afterward.

Reading the numbers

In HSL the color sits at hue 208° with 6% saturation and 50% lightness, which is right on the midpoint of the lightness scale. The OKLCH reading is 59.2% lightness, chroma 0.014 and hue 244.4. Chroma that low means the color is barely tinted. If you want to see the same value in other notations, the color converter handles it.

The light reflectance value is 20.761. Roughly a fifth of the light that lands on a wall in this color bounces back into the room, so it works as a moody, enclosing shade and will not do much to brighten a space.

How the undertone behaves

The file classifies it as a cool neutral with a blue undertone, based on that OKLCH hue of 244°. In practice that means the blue shows up more under warm evening lamps and when the wall sits beside a cooler white. Under flat midday daylight it should lean closer to a straight stone gray.

Worked example

Picture a home office with one window facing north and a built-in bookcase along the long wall. You paint the back panel of the shelves in Downing Slate and leave the surrounding wall lighter. With an LRV near 21, the recessed panel will read as a quiet shadow that makes books and ceramics stand forward. Sherwin-Williams lists Monorail Silver (SW 7663) and Sommelier (SW 7595) as coordinating colors, so those are the two names to pull a sample of for the room's trim or adjoining wall.

If you also need a label or a sign on a panel of this color, the contrast numbers matter. Black text measures 5.16:1, enough for ordinary body copy under the AA rule. White text measures 4.06:1, which fails for small text and only passes for large, bold lettering. Run both through the contrast grid if the type is small.

Nearby colors

Within Sherwin-Williams, the closest listed color is Retreat (SW 6207) at a ΔE of 9, followed by Dried Thyme (SW 6186) at 11.8 and Evergreen Fog (SW 9130) at 13.5. Every one of those is above 5, which means clearly different, so none is a stand-in.

Across brands, Kendall Charcoal (Benjamin Moore HC-166) is 11.8 away, Labrador Blue (1670) is 12 away and Vermont Slate (1673) is 13.3 away. A ΔE that high says there is no true Benjamin Moore twin in this set. Brush out physical samples next to each other before deciding, and view them at the hour you use the room most.