Sherwin Williams Serious Gray SW 6256
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- Sherwin Williams SW 6256 on kitchen cabinets (2 photos)
- Serious Gray for exterior (4 photos)
- Sherwin Williams Serious Gray reviews (5 photos)
- What are Sherwin Williams Serious Gray undertones?
- Is Serious Gray SW 6256 cool or warm?
- How light temperature affects on Serious Gray
- Monochromatic color scheme
- Complementary color scheme
- Color comparison and matching
- LRV of Serious Gray SW 6256
- Color codes
- Color equivalents
| Official page: | Serious Gray SW 6256 |
| Code: | SW 6256 |
| Name: | Serious Gray |
| Brand: | Sherwin Williams |
| Collections: | Simplified |
What color is Sherwin Williams Serious Gray?
Sherwin Williams Serious Gray SW 6256 is a medium-depth gray with a clear cool blue cast, reading like softened slate rather than a flat neutral. Its muted saturation keeps the color grounded, so it can bring definition to walls without making a room feel overly dark. In daylight, the blue-gray character is more noticeable, while warmer artificial lighting may pull it closer to a balanced charcoal gray. Serious Gray suits home offices, bedrooms, and bathrooms where a cooler, architectural backdrop feels appropriate. Pair it with clean white trim, charcoal accents, brushed nickel, black metal, or pale oak to give the color contrast and warmth.
Sherwin Williams SW 6256 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.
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@cm_customhomes
Serious Gray for exterior (4 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.
@allstarprofessionalpainting
@allstarprofessionalpainting
@our_florida_farmhouse
@aliceson_m
Sherwin Williams Serious Gray reviews (5 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.
@jacklynreneedesign
@babcockfabrication
@coastalpaintingservicesllc
@coastalpaintingservicesllc
@skypaintingsolutions
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What are Sherwin Williams Serious Gray undertones?
Serious Gray is a midtone, very muted blue-gray. The HEX sample has a subtle blue bias, but its low chroma turns that hue into a neutral-looking color rather than a clear blue. Warm bulbs may gray the color down, while cool daylight usually makes its blue or teal direction clearer.
HEX value:
RGB code:
125, 132, 139
Is Sherwin Williams Serious Gray cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 210°, this black leans cool, but it is near the neutral line and may feel warmer in certain lighting.
SW 6256 Serious Gray HSL code: 210, 6%, 52%
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 Serious Gray
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 black shade looks under different lighting:
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Sherwin Williams Serious Gray:
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
SW 6256
Serious Gray
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 Serious Gray with a blue hue, complementary colors are those with a orange hue close to 30, such as Sherwin Williams Truly Taupe and Heavenly White.
LRV of Serious Gray
Serious Gray has an LRV of 22.7% and refers to Medium colors that reflect a lot of 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 22.7%, 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 | #7d848b |
| RGB Decimal | 125, 132, 139 |
| RGB Percent | 49.02%, 51.76%, 54.51% |
| HSV | Hue: 210° Saturation: 10.07% Value: 54.51% |
| HSL | hsl(210, 6, 52) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 10.07 Magenta: 5.04 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 45.49 |
| YIQ | Y: 130.705 I: -6.421 Q: 0.698 |
| XYZ | X: 21.368 Y: 22.726 Z: 27.68 |
| CIE Lab | L:54.789 a:-1.102 b:-4.646 |
| CIE Luv | L:54.789 u:-4.204 v:-6.421 |
| Decimal | 8225931 |
| Hunter Lab | 47.672, -3.419, -1.055 |
Color equivalents
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Smoke Gray
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