Benjamin Moore Thunder AF-685

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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.

Af-685 Bedroom
@leannegaudreau
Thunder Bedroom
@leannegaudreau
Af-685 Bedroom
@andrea__nicole__
Bedroom
@lara_young_design
Thunder Bedroom
@word_of_mouth_painting

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

Af-685 Living Room
@vertexcustomcarpentry__
Af-685 Living Room
@vertexcustomcarpentry__
Benjamin Moore Thunder Living Room
@ourbouldlife

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 Kitchen Cabinets
@colorsbykelly
Thunder Kitchen Cabinets
@colorsbykelly

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.

Kitchen
@stephaniefavaledesigns
Thunder Laundry Room Cabinets
@soipaintedit
Bm Thunder Laundry Room
@soipaintedit
Benjamin Moore Thunder Wall Paint
@followyourfootpath
Benjamin Moore Thunder Bathroom Wall Panelling
@sarah.n.design
Benjamin Moore Thunder Wall Paint
@word_of_mouth_painting

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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:

#BDB8AD

RGB code:

189, 184, 173

Is Benjamin Moore Thunder cool or warm?

warm
cool
Color wheel

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.

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 Benjamin Moore Thunder:

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 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 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 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

FormatCode
HEX#BDB8AD
RGB Decimal189, 184, 173
RGB Percent74.12%, 72.16%, 67.84%
HSVHue: 41° Saturation: 8.47% Value: 74.12%
HSLhsl(41, 11, 71)
CMYKCyan: 0.0 Magenta: 2.65 Yellow: 8.47 Key: 25.88
YIQY: 184.241 I: 6.514 Q: -2.366
XYZX: 45.668 Y: 48.117 Z: 46.406
CIE LabL:74.899 a:-0.188 b:6.212
CIE LuvL:74.899 u:3.546 v:9.065
Decimal12433581
Hunter Lab69.367, -3.875, 8.892

Color equivalents