Benjamin Moore Thunder AF-685
Contentsshow +hide -
- Thunder for bedroom (5 photos)
- Thunder for living room (3 photos)
- Benjamin Moore AF-685 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)
- Benjamin Moore Thunder reviews (6 photos)
- What are Benjamin Moore Thunder undertones?
- Is Thunder AF-685 cool or warm?
- How light temperature affects on Thunder
- Monochromatic color scheme
- Complementary color scheme
- Color comparison and matching
- LRV of Thunder AF-685
- Color codes
- Color equivalents
| Official page: | Thunder AF-685 |
| Code: | AF-685 |
| Name: | Thunder |
| Brand: | Benjamin Moore |
What color is Benjamin Moore Thunder?
Benjamin Moore Thunder AF-685 is a muted light greige with a soft beige-gray cast and low saturation. Its #BDB8AD color value gives it a gently warm, slightly weathered appearance rather than a crisp or icy gray look. In daylight, Thunder can read as a quiet neutral with subtle warmth, while lower or warmer artificial light may bring forward its beige side. It is well suited to living room, bedroom, and hallway walls where a calm, grounded backdrop is wanted. Pair it with creamy off-whites, charcoal accents, natural oak, linen upholstery, and brushed brass for a layered, material-focused interior.
Thunder for bedroom (5 photos)
We’ve hand-picked a beautiful collection of photos of this amazing grey shade used in real bedrooms. Take a look and imagine how this wonderful warm mid-tone paint color could transform your own bedroom space.





Thunder for living room (3 photos)
Check out this stunning mid-tone color used in real living rooms. Explore how this grey shade can create a unique space



Benjamin Moore AF-685 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)
Want a stylish kitchen? View real-life photo examples of this fascinating warm grey hue is paired with backsplashes, countertops, and hardware.


Benjamin Moore Thunder reviews (6 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.






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What are Benjamin Moore Thunder undertones?
Thunder AF-685 reads as a mid-light, very muted gray-beige with a soft, low-saturation overall character. In the supplied digital sample, its subtle visible bias leans slightly yellow, which can make the neutral feel a little warmer than a blue-based gray, though the bias is restrained. Benjamin Moore describes Thunder as a neutral with an “ideal mix of warm and cool,” which fits its balanced gray-beige appearance rather than a strongly warm or cool look. Warm artificial light may bring out its beige-yellow side somewhat, while cool daylight can make its gray character appear more noticeable.
Manufacturer information used in this description: official color page.
HEX value:
RGB code:
189, 184, 173
Is Benjamin Moore Thunder cool or warm?
With a hue of 41°, this Grey leans warm, but it is close to neutral and can read cooler in some light.
AF-685 Thunder HSL code: 41, 11%, 71%
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 Thunder
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 in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this Grey shade looks under different lighting:


4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Benjamin Moore Thunder:
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
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 Thunder with a orange hue, complementary colors are those with a blue hue close to 221, such as Benjamin Moore Normandy and Feather Gray.
LRV of Thunder
Thunder has an LRV of 47.58% 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 47.58%, 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 | #BDB8AD |
| RGB Decimal | 189, 184, 173 |
| RGB Percent | 74.12%, 72.16%, 67.84% |
| HSV | Hue: 41° Saturation: 8.47% Value: 74.12% |
| HSL | hsl(41, 11, 71) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 2.65 Yellow: 8.47 Key: 25.88 |
| YIQ | Y: 184.241 I: 6.514 Q: -2.366 |
| XYZ | X: 45.668 Y: 48.117 Z: 46.406 |
| CIE Lab | L:74.899 a:-0.188 b:6.212 |
| CIE Luv | L:74.899 u:3.546 v:9.065 |
| Decimal | 12433581 |
| Hunter Lab | 69.367, -3.875, 8.892 |
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