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

Urbane Bronze SW 7048: hex #54504A, LRV and undertone

Urbane Bronze is Sherwin-Williams SW 7048, hex #54504A, LRV 8.121. It measures as a true neutral with almost no undertone.

Sherwin-Williams named Urbane Bronze its Color of the Year 2021. See how it measures against every Color of the Year since 2000.

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

Updated November 11, 2026

Sherwin-WilliamsUrbane BronzeSW 7048

Hex: #54504A
RGB: 84, 80, 74
LRV: 8.121
Undertone: True neutral

LRV 8.121. Very dark: close to black on the wall; use where you want drama or contrast.

Almost no undertone (chroma 0.011): it reads as a clean gray in most light.

Coordinating colors Sherwin-Williams suggests

Shoji WhiteSW 7042
Extra WhiteSW 7006
IvoireSW 6127

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 swatchUrbane Bronzemedium-dark gray

HEX: #54504A
RGB: rgb(84, 80, 74)
HSL: hsl(36, 6%, 31%)

Best text on it: white at 8.00:1

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Urbane Bronze#54504A

Every code for Urbane Bronze

HEX#54504A
RGBrgb(84, 80, 74)
HSLhsl(36, 6%, 31%)
HSV36°, 12%, 33%
CMYK0%, 5%, 12%, 67%
Lablab(34.3% 0.8 4.2)
OKLCHoklch(43.3% 0.011 78.2)
Decimal5525578

Tints, shades and tones

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

90%#EEEEED
80%#DDDCDB
70%#CCCBC9
60%#BBB9B7
50%#AAA8A5
40%#989692
30%#878580
20%#76736E
10%#65625C
Base#54504A
10%#4C4843
20%#43403B
30%#3B3834
40%#32302C
50%#2A2825
60%#22201E
70%#191816
80%#11100F
90%#080807

Tones (mixed with gray)

10%#58554F
20%#5D5A55
30%#615E5A
40%#666360
50%#6A6865
60%#6E6D6A
70%#737270
80%#777675
90%#7C7B7B

Matching colors

Complementary

#54504A
#4A4E54

Analogous

#544B4A
#54504A
#53544A

Triadic

#54504A
#4A5450
#504A54

Split complementary

#54504A
#4A5354
#4B4A54

Tetradic (square)

#54504A
#4A544B
#4A4E54
#544A53

Monochromatic

#0B0A0A
#2B2926
#54504A
#7D776E
#A29D95

Urbane Bronze 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.

Urbane Bronze with its complement, its triad and its tint and shade

Urbane Bronze
Triad #4A5450
Triad #504A54
Complement
50% tint
50% shade

Urbane Bronze in use

New collectionAutumn edit

Card body text stays dark for reading; urbane bronze carries the header and the button.

Shop nowTag

Headline in Urbane Bronze

A paragraph with a link set in this color, which is dark enough for text on white.

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#54504A
Protanopia (no red cones)#52504A
Deuteranopia (no green cones)#53514A
Tritanopia (no blue cones)#564F4E

Contrast and readability

Pairing	Ratio	WCAG 2.2
as text on white	8.00:1	AA AA large AAA
as text on black	2.62:1	AA AA large AAA
white text on it	8.00:1	AA AA large AAA
black text on it	2.62:1	AA AA large AAA
on your background	6.98:1	AA AA large AAA

Try a background

Export

:root {
  --urbane-bronze: #54504a;
  --urbane-bronze-rgb: 84 80 74;
  --urbane-bronze-on: #ffffff;
}

On this page

Urbane Bronze, Sherwin-Williams SW 7048, is a dark warm-gray brown with the hex code #54504A. At an LRV of 8.121 it belongs to the very dark group: on a wall it behaves close to black, only softer.

Reading the data

In RGB it is 84, 80, 74, a narrow spread that tells you it is barely colored. HSL says 36°, 6%, 31%. OKLCH gives 43.3% lightness, 0.011 chroma and hue near 78°. The file labels the undertone as true neutral, because a chroma of 0.011 is too small to call a cast, though the hue angle hints at a slight warmth.

Reflectance of 8.121 means over 90 percent of the light is absorbed. That is the practical story: this is a color for doors, cabinetry, an accent wall or a media room, where absorbing light is the point.

Why it looks neutral

Computed as a true neutral, it should read as a clean gray in most light. Beside very warm woods it might take on a hint of brown, and beside blue-leaning grays it will look warmer by comparison.

Partners and nearest neighbors

Coordinating colors listed are Shoji White SW 7042, Extra White SW 7006 and Ivoire SW 6127. Extra White (#EEEFEA) has a measured contrast of 6.92:1 against Urbane Bronze.

Closest in Sherwin-Williams are Iron Ore (SW 7069) at ΔE 5.6, Porpoise (SW 7047) at 7.6 and Pewter Green (SW 6208) at 7.8. At Benjamin Moore: Raccoon Fur (2126-20) at 7.1, Kendall Charcoal (HC-166) at 8 and Hale Navy (HC-154) at 11.

All of those exceed 5, which means each is clearly a different color. There is no near-duplicate to swap in, so choose by looking at samples, not by assuming.

Worked example

Consider a kitchen island with white oak counters, standing under a pendant light. Painting the island base in Urbane Bronze creates a strong anchor, and Extra White on the surrounding cabinetry makes the contrast crisp: 6.92:1 between the two paint colors. If someone suggests Iron Ore instead, remember it is 5.6 away, enough to look different. Put both in a large swatch beside the counter before committing.

On screens and signs

White text on #54504A reaches 8.00:1, which passes AAA. Black manages only 2.62:1. Light type is the right choice for headings or labels set on this shade.