Benjamin Moore Sterling Forest 518
| Official page: | Sterling Forest 518 |
| Code: | 518 |
| Name: | Sterling Forest |
| Brand: | Benjamin Moore |
What color is Benjamin Moore Sterling Forest?
Benjamin Moore 518, also known as Sterling Forest, is a versatile grey with cool undertones that can add sophistication to any space. This subtle hue pairs beautifully with both warm and cool tones, making it easy to coordinate with a variety of color schemes. For a modern look, consider combining Sterling Forest with crisp whites and soft pastels. If you prefer a more dramatic contrast, try pairing it with deep blues, rich greens, or even bold mustard yellows. The neutral essence of Sterling Forest allows you to create a harmonious and timeless interior design.
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What are Benjamin Moore Sterling Forest undertones?
Sterling Forest 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:
#6D684E
RGB code:
109, 104, 78
Is Benjamin Moore Sterling Forest 518 cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 50°, this brown reads warm on the HSL color wheel.
518 Sterling Forest HSL code: 50, 17%, 37%
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 Sterling Forest
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 brown shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Benjamin Moore Sterling Forest:
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
518
Sterling Forest
Darker shades
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 Sterling Forest with a orange hue, complementary colors are those with a blue hue close to 230, such as Benjamin Moore Approaching Storm and Evening Dove.
LRV of Sterling Forest
Sterling Forest has an LRV of 14.16% and refers to Medium Dark which means that this color reflects very little 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 14.16%, 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 | #6D684E |  |
| RGB Decimal | 109, 104, 78 | |
| RGB Percent | 42.75%, 40.78%, 30.59% | |
| HSV | Hue: 50° Saturation: 28.44% Value: 42.75% | |
| HSL | hsl(50, 17, 37) | |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 4.59 Yellow: 28.44 Key: 57.25 | |
| YIQ | Y: 102.531 I: 11.334 Q: -7.034 | |
| XYZ | X: 12.632 Y: 13.702 Z: 9.185 | |
| CIE Lab | L:43.803 a:-2.609 b:15.394 | |
| CIE Luv | L:43.803 u:4.438 v:19.096 | |
| Decimal | 7170126 | |
| Hunter Lab | 37.016, -3.865, 11.2 | |
Benjamin Moore 518 Sterling Forest
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