Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20

Contents

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Benjamin Moore 2121-20 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)
Steel Wool for exterior (5 photos)
Benjamin Moore Steel Wool reviews (4 photos)
What are Benjamin Moore Steel Wool undertones?
Is Steel Wool 2121-20 cool or warm?
How light temperature affects on Steel Wool
Monochromatic color scheme
Complementary color scheme
Color comparison and matching
LRV of Steel Wool 2121-20
Color codes
Color equivalents

Official page:	Steel Wool 2121-20
Code:	2121-20
Name:	Steel Wool
Brand:	Benjamin Moore

What color is Benjamin Moore Steel Wool?

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool 2121-20 is a medium-depth gray with a restrained cool cast, reflected in its slightly blue-leaning charcoal tone. It reads clean and grounded rather than icy, giving walls enough presence without making a room feel overly dark. In bright daylight, Steel Wool can appear like a softened blue-gray, while lower or warmer light may bring out its neutral graphite character. Use it in a home office, dining room, or on cabinetry with crisp white trim, pale oak, black metal, and warm brass accents. It also makes a strong exterior accent for shutters, doors, or siding details when paired with lighter neutral finishes.

Benjamin Moore 2121-20 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.

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool kitchen cabinets color

@maurie.minichiello.design.co

Steel Wool for exterior (5 photos)

Looking for a fresh new look for your house exterior or starting from skretch? We’ve collected pictures of real-life homes that have been painted with this cool grey hue. Find inspiration for your house’s exterior, front doors, gates, shutters, frames or windows.

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool house exterior color review

@ellenkparks

Benjamin Moore 2121-20 house exterior color

@bcpaintersltd

@bcpaintersltd

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool house exterior

@lambertcoatingsllc

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool exterior paint

@herbertpainting

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool reviews (4 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.

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool bathroom vanity color review

@samoreclosets

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool bathroom vanity color

@samoreclosets

@maurie.minichiello.design.co

@jldesignsphilly

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What are Benjamin Moore Steel Wool undertones?

Steel Wool is a midtone, near-neutral charcoal 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:

#787B7D

RGB code:

120, 123, 125

Is Benjamin Moore Steel Wool cool or warm?

warm

cool

With a hue of 204°, this black leans cool, but it is near the neutral line and may feel warmer in certain lighting.

2121-20 Steel Wool HSL code: 204, 2%, 48%

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 Steel Wool

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

Sunrise

Morning

Noon

Afternoon

Sunset

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 in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this black shade looks under different lighting:

4000K

2000K

3000K

4000K

5000K

6000K

7000K

Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Benjamin Moore Steel Wool:

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

2121-20
Steel Wool

Darker shades

2121-20
Steel Wool

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 Steel Wool with a green hue, complementary colors are those with a red hue close to 24, such as Benjamin Moore Desert Shadows and Hint of Violet.

2121-20
Steel Wool

Compare
Benjamin Moore
Steel Wool 2121-20
to any other colors

Benjamin Moore
Steel Wool 2121-20
color equivalents

LRV of Steel Wool

Steel Wool has an LRV of 20.73% and refers to Medium colors that reflect a lot of light. Why 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 20.73%, 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

Format	Code
HEX	#787B7D
RGB Decimal	120, 123, 125
RGB Percent	47.06%, 48.24%, 49.02%
HSV	Hue: 204° Saturation: 4.0% Value: 49.02%
HSL	hsl(204, 2, 48)
CMYK	Cyan: 4.0 Magenta: 1.6 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 50.98
YIQ	Y: 122.331 I: -2.43 Q: -0.012
XYZ	X: 18.529 Y: 19.64 Z: 22.211
CIE Lab	L:51.427 a:-0.715 b:-1.48
CIE Luv	L:51.427 u:-1.784 v:-1.932
Decimal	7895933
Hunter Lab	44.317, -2.921, 1.306