Benjamin Moore Market Square Shell CW-30
| Official page: | Market Square Shell CW-30 |
| Code: | CW-30 |
| Name: | Market Square Shell |
| Brand: | Benjamin Moore |
What color is Benjamin Moore Market Square Shell?
Benjamin Moore Market Square Shell CW-30 is a versatile and sophisticated neutral hue that effortlessly complements a range of color palettes. This soft and inviting shade pairs beautifully with warm earth tones such as terracotta and olive green, creating a cozy and harmonious atmosphere in any space. For a more modern look, consider combining Market Square Shell with cool blues or crisp whites to add a fresh and airy feel to your interior. Whether used as a wall color or accent, Market Square Shell brings a sense of warmth and elegance to any room, making it a timeless choice for interior design.
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What are Benjamin Moore Market Square Shell undertones?
Market Square Shell has a clear yellow undertone based on its position in the color space. We identify undertones by isolating the pure hue (separating it from lightness and saturation), which avoids distortions caused by tints, tones, and shades.
This method is generally more reliable than judging undertones on a white background.
HEX value:
#C5BCA2
RGB code:
197, 188, 162
Is Benjamin Moore Market Square Shell CW-30 cool or warm?
With a hue of 45°, this Beige reads warm on the HSL color wheel.
CW-30 Market Square Shell HSL code: 45, 23%, 70%
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 Market Square Shell
Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.
In addition, natural‑light temperature depends on its direction:
| Direction of sunlight | Visible temp. | Hue | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Cool | Bluish | All day |
| East | Warm | Yellow | Before noon |
| West | Warm | Orange‑red | After noon |
| South | Warm | Orange‑yellow | All day |
Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color‑temperature (Kelvins).
Use the slider to see how this Beige shade looks under different lighting:


4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Benjamin Moore Market Square Shell:
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
CW-30
Market Square Shell
Darker shades
CW-30
Market Square Shell
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 Market Square Shell with a orange hue, complementary colors are those with a blue hue close to 225, such as Benjamin Moore Bachelor Blue and Approaching Storm.
LRV of Market Square Shell
Market Square Shell has an LRV of 49.99% and refers to Light Medium colors that reflect half of the incident light. Why LRV is important?
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 49.99%, 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. To copy the code, just click the icon to the right of it.
| Format | Code | |
|---|---|---|
| HEX | #C5BCA2 | |
| RGB Decimal | 197, 188, 162 | |
| RGB Percent | 77.25%, 73.73%, 63.53% | |
| HSV | Hue: 45° Saturation: 17.77% Value: 77.25% | |
| HSL | hsl(45, 23, 70) | |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 4.57 Yellow: 17.77 Key: 22.75 | |
| YIQ | Y: 187.727 I: 13.718 Q: -6.187 | |
| XYZ | X: 47.53 Y: 50.446 Z: 41.406 | |
| CIE Lab | L:76.342 a:-1.159 b:14.312 | |
| CIE Luv | L:76.342 u:6.881 v:20.517 | |
| Decimal | 12958882 | |
| Hunter Lab | 71.026, -4.843, 15.153 |
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