Chelsea Gray
HC-168 · Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore
Chelsea Gray
HC-168
Subtle yellow-brown, a warm color
- Color family
- Neutral
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray HC-168 is a deep warm gray, close to charcoal but softened by a brown lean that keeps it from reading black. An LRV of 23 makes it a dark color, a statement on all four walls, and it is used far more on cabinets, doors and exteriors than on whole rooms. Our method reads the lean as a subtle yellow-brown, which is what separates it from the cooler charcoals it competes with.
Is Chelsea Gray warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans yellow
Undertone
Subtle yellow-brown
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Measured, Chelsea Gray holds a small amount of yellow with a brown cast and nothing on the green or blue side. On a cabinet door that reads as a warm charcoal, a gray with the coldness removed rather than a taupe. Beside white trim it looks darker and grayer; beside black hardware it looks lighter and browner. Warm oak and brass sit with it naturally, and it is one of the few darks that does not fight a beige stone counter. Its close relative Dolphin AF-715 is a shade cooler, and Amherst Gray HC-167 is the same idea taken further down.
Chelsea Gray in north, south, east and west light
In a north-facing room Chelsea Gray goes cooler and reads darker than its number suggests, which is either the point or the problem depending on the room; the warm lean stops it turning to slate, but it will not stay light. South light is where the brown shows and the color looks its best, particularly through the afternoon. East rooms are warmest early and gray by evening. Late west sun can tip the wall it hits toward bronze. Keep bulbs at 2700K to 3000K, because cooler ones drain the warmth and leave a flat charcoal.
Watch for
- Reads several shades darker on four walls than it does on a single door
- Shows roller texture and brush marks more than a light color does
- Goes flat and cold under the 4000K bulbs common in kitchens
Best rooms and surfaces for Chelsea Gray
Chelsea Gray does its best work in rooms meant to feel enclosed: a study, a dining room used at night, a wall of shelves in a library. On all four walls of a room with good windows it is dramatic and still readable; in a small room with one window it goes close to black once the sun is off it. It is a strong door color, on interior doors against pale walls and on a front door alike. Used on trim and paneling under white walls it reads as a graphic line rather than a color. What it cannot do is brighten anything, so keep it out of a basement room or a hallway that lives on borrowed light.
Chelsea Gray on an exterior
Benjamin Moore sells Chelsea Gray for exterior use and also offers it as an exterior wood stain color, which is why it turns up on siding, shingles and decks. Full sun lifts it a long way and it reads as a mid gray-brown; in shade it drops nearly to charcoal, so one house can look like two colors depending on the elevation. It suits a stone or brick house as a trim and shutter color. A crisp white on the trim, Chantilly Lace OC-65 being the usual pick, keeps the lines sharp against it.
Try Chelsea Gray on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Chelsea Gray onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.
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Chelsea Gray vs Kendall Charcoal, Amherst Gray, Dovetail and Evergreen Fog
Kendall CharcoalChelsea GrayChelsea Gray vs Kendall Charcoal HC-166
Chelsea Gray is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs faint yellow-brown.
Kendall Charcoal HC-166 is the pair people put beside this one, nine points darker and with less brown in it, so it reads as a true charcoal where Chelsea Gray reads as a warm one. On cabinets the difference is obvious: Kendall Charcoal looks nearly black in a dim kitchen while Chelsea Gray keeps some gray. Choose Kendall Charcoal for drama, and Chelsea Gray when the room has enough dark in it already.
Chelsea Gray vs Amherst Gray HC-167
Chelsea Gray is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs faint yellow-leaning green.
Amherst Gray HC-167 is the next rung down the same ladder, five points darker and a fraction cooler, near enough that comparing chips is hard to trust. The gap shows on a large surface: a Chelsea Gray wall still shows its brown at midday where Amherst Gray settles into charcoal. If Chelsea Gray sampled a shade light for your cabinets, Amherst Gray is the small step rather than a jump to black.
DovetailChelsea GrayChelsea Gray vs Dovetail SW 7018
Chelsea Gray is a touch darker; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs subtle orange.
Dovetail SW 7018 is the nearest Sherwin-Williams color with a page here, two points lighter and a touch warmer, leaning orange rather than yellow-brown. Side by side Dovetail looks more taupe and Chelsea Gray slightly more olive. Either will do the same job on cabinets or a front door, so the decision usually comes down to the brand your painter buys and what the counter beside them looks like.
Evergreen FogChelsea GrayChelsea Gray vs Evergreen Fog SW 9130
Chelsea Gray is noticeably darker; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs subtle yellow-leaning green.
Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is seven points lighter and clearly green, so it is no substitute, but it is the color most often shortlisted against Chelsea Gray for a kitchen island. Evergreen Fog reads as a muted sage. Chelsea Gray reads as a gray with brown in it and no color to speak of. Pick the green if the cabinets should be noticed, and the gray if they should sit still.
Questions about Chelsea Gray
Does Chelsea Gray look green or brown?
Brown, faintly, and never green. The measurement puts a small amount of yellow with a brown cast in it and nothing on the green side, so what people read as green is usually contrast with a warm floor or a beige counter. Under warm bulbs the brown shows plainly, and under cool ones it flattens to a plain dark gray.
Is Chelsea Gray a good kitchen cabinet color?
Yes, and cabinets are its most common use. At this depth doors read as a warm charcoal against a white counter without going black, and the brown in it sits well with oak floors and brass pulls. Two things to plan for: it shows fingerprints around the hardware, and it needs a light wall or plenty of daylight so the kitchen does not close in.
What colors go with Chelsea Gray?
Benjamin Moore's own picks are the cream Lemon Chiffon OC-109, the pale Angelica AF-665, the warm Concord Ivory HC-12 and the muted Sanctuary AF-620. In practice it takes white oak, brass, black metal and warm stone. White trim is the standard partner. The pairing to avoid is a cool blue-gray, which leaves the brown in Chelsea Gray looking muddy.
Is Chelsea Gray too dark for a bedroom?
Not if the room has a window and you want it enclosed. On all four walls it makes a bedroom feel like evening at any hour, which suits some people and not others. White bedding and a white ceiling keep it from feeling heavy. In a bedroom with one small window, putting it on the wall behind the bed gives the same effect with the light kept.
What is one shade lighter than Chelsea Gray?
Graystone 1475, the rung above it in Benjamin Moore's own set, seven points lighter and still clearly a dark gray. Among its closest matches, Dolphin AF-715 is a fraction lighter and cooler, near enough to swap without anyone noticing. For a real step up rather than a nudge, Cape May Cobblestone 1474 is the next one past Graystone.
Get a sample before you paint
Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Chelsea Gray, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
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