Sherwin Williams African Gray SW 9162

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Official page:African Gray SW 9162
Code:SW 9162
Name:African Gray
Brand:Sherwin Williams

What color is Sherwin Williams African Gray?

Sherwin Williams African Gray SW 9162 is a medium-light gray with a faint cool blue-green cast visible in its color value. It has enough depth to read clearly on walls without making a room feel overly dark or heavy. In bright daylight, African Gray can appear clean and softly silvery, while lower or warmer artificial light may bring out its more neutral side. It suits bedrooms, bathrooms, and living areas where a restrained gray is wanted without a sharp, icy look. Pair it with crisp white trim, pale oak, brushed nickel, charcoal textiles, or muted blue-green accents for a measured, cohesive palette.

African Gray for living room (2 photos)

Check out this stunning mid-tone color used in real living rooms. Explore how this grey shade can create a unique space

SW African Gray living room color review
@affordablepaintingfw
Sherwin Williams African Gray living room color
@affordablepaintingfw

Sherwin Williams SW 9162 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)

Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating cool grey hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.

Sherwin Williams African Gray kitchen cabinets
@nicolemariepainting
SW African Gray kitchen cabinets
@nicolemariepainting

Sherwin Williams African Gray reviews (3 photos)

View the photos of real spaces painted with this grey that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.

SW African Gray home office
@building51814insc
Sw 9162 Dining Room
@classallc
Sherwin Williams African Gray Kitchen
@classallc

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What are Sherwin Williams African Gray undertones?

African Gray is a midtone, near-neutral medium gray. Its chroma is so low that assigning a specific hue-based undertone would be misleading. Because it is close to neutral, nearby surfaces and the color of the light can noticeably change how warm or cool it appears.

HEX value:

#939899

RGB code:

147, 152, 153

Is Sherwin Williams African Gray cool or warm?

warm
cool
Color wheel

With a hue of 190°, this Grey leans cool, but it is near the neutral line and may feel warmer in certain lighting.

SW 9162 African Gray HSL code: 190, 3%, 59%

Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.

How light temperature affects African Gray

Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.

Bedroom daylight mockup
Bedroom overlay
Sunrise
Morning
Noon
Afternoon
Sunset

In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:

Direction of sunlightVisible temp.HueDuration
NorthCoolBluishAll day
EastWarmYellowBefore noon
WestWarmOrange-redAfter noon
SouthWarmOrange-yellowAll day

Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this Grey shade looks under different lighting:

Living-room mockup
Living-room overlay

4000K

2000K
3000K
4000K
5000K
6000K
7000K

Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Sherwin Williams African Gray:

Monochromatic color scheme

Monochromatic color scheme

This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.

Lighter shades

Darker shades

Complementary color scheme

Complementary color scheme

This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color African Gray with a green hue, complementary colors are those with a red hue close to 10, such as Sherwin Williams Mauve Tinge and Studio Mauve.

LRV of African Gray

African Gray has an LRV of 30.98% and refers to Medium colors that reflect a lot of lightWhy LRV is important?

Light Reflectance Value scale illustration

Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).

Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 30.98%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft2 living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.

Color codes

We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models

FormatCode
HEX#939899
RGB Decimal147, 152, 153
RGB Percent57.65%, 59.61%, 60.00%
HSVHue: 190° Saturation: 3.92% Value: 60.0%
HSLhsl(190, 3, 59)
CMYKCyan: 3.92 Magenta: 0.65 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 40.0
YIQY: 150.619 I: -3.301 Q: -0.746
XYZX: 29.009 Y: 30.959 Z: 34.576
CIE LabL:62.473 a:-1.604 b:-1.149
CIE LuvL:62.473 u:-2.855 v:-1.39
Decimal9672857
Hunter Lab55.641, -4.309, 2.105

Color equivalents