Edgecomb Gray

HC-173 · Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore

Edgecomb Gray

HC-173

Hex code

#D9D3C4

Light reflectance value (LRV)

63.1Light, brightens without washing out

0 black100 white

Undertone

Noticeable yellow-beige, a warm color

Color family: White
Sold for: Interior and exterior

Try it on your walls Get a sample

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 is a warm greige with more beige in it than most colors that carry gray in the name. Its LRV of 63 lands in the light band, bright enough for a whole house while the walls still hold a clear soft tone. It belongs to the Historical Colors deck and is used most on open living areas, kitchen walls and kitchen cabinets, usually in houses with wood floors.

Is Edgecomb Gray warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers

leans yellow

Undertone

Noticeable yellow-beige

graysaturated

A visible lean you see in daylight.

This is the beige end of the greige family, not the gray end. The measurement holds a good deal of yellow, more than twice what a color like Balboa Mist OC-27 carries, with only a trace of green beside it. What that means on a wall is that the warmth stays visible in most rooms instead of coming and going. Beside a bright white trim it reads clearly tan. Beside cream cabinets or an antique white it turns gray, because the neighbor is warmer than it is. Cool gray tile brings out the trace of green, which is where the green complaints start.

Edgecomb Gray in north, south, east and west light

North-facing rooms take the edge off the beige and leave a warm gray, which is why this color survives a north exposure better than most greiges do: there is enough yellow in it to lose some and still have some left. South light does the opposite and can bring the walls close to a light tan by mid-afternoon. East rooms look warmest at breakfast and settle by evening, and west sun in the last hour adds a gold cast that shows on the wall it strikes. Bulbs at 2700K to 3000K keep it where the chip says it should be.

Watch for

Turns clearly tan on a sunny south wall, more than the chip suggests
Shows its green trace beside cool gray tile or a blue-gray counter
Reads gray, not warm, when the trim is a cream white rather than a bright one

Best rooms and surfaces for Edgecomb Gray

Kitchens are where this color does its best work: on the walls it holds warmth against white cabinets, and on the cabinets themselves it gives a beige-forward door that suits oak, walnut and brass better than any white would. Open living and dining rooms take it well for the same reason, and it carries down a hallway without going dim. Bathrooms are the harder case. With warm stone or a wood vanity it looks right; with white subway tile, chrome and cool downlights it can look yellowed. Bedrooms work if the bedding is warm, since crisp white linens will pull the beige forward.

Edgecomb Gray on an exterior

Benjamin Moore sells Edgecomb Gray for exterior use and it is a common siding choice on shingled and clapboard houses. Sun lightens it and pushes the beige forward, so a south elevation reads warmer and paler than the sample; shaded walls hold the gray. It pairs naturally with a white trim and a warm brown or black roof, and it is forgiving next to stone and brick, which is the main reason it turns up on houses with mixed materials.

Try Edgecomb Gray on your own walls

Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Edgecomb 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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Edgecomb Gray vs Pale Oak, Revere Pewter, Agreeable Gray, Accessible Beige and Balboa Mist

Living room walls rendered in Benjamin Moore Pale Oak OC-20, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Edgecomb Gray vs Pale Oak OC-20

Edgecomb Gray is noticeably darker; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs subtle yellow-beige.

Pale Oak OC-20 is the lighter and much cooler of the two, five points higher in reflectance with roughly half the warmth in its measurement. In a kitchen that difference decides the cabinets: Pale Oak doors look like a soft white, this color's doors look like a light beige. On walls the same logic holds. Anyone who found Pale Oak too gray in a north room usually lands here, and anyone who found this too yellow goes the other way.

Living room walls rendered in Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Edgecomb Gray vs Revere Pewter HC-172

Edgecomb Gray is noticeably lighter; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs subtle yellow-beige.

Revere Pewter HC-172 is the darker Historical Colors greige by eight points, and it carries more gray with its warmth. Rooms painted Revere Pewter feel enclosed and finished; the same rooms in Edgecomb Gray feel open and warm. Light is the deciding factor. In a room with two small windows Revere Pewter can go heavy, while this color stays light enough to live with, which is why it is the more common whole-house pick of the two.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray SW 7029, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Edgecomb Gray vs Agreeable Gray SW 7029

Edgecomb Gray is a touch lighter; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs subtle yellow-beige.

Agreeable Gray SW 7029 is three points darker and about half as warm, so the pair sit close in weight and apart in temperature. Against Agreeable Gray this color looks distinctly tan, and against this color Agreeable Gray looks gray. Houses with orange-toned oak floors usually do better with Agreeable Gray, which stays neutral, while houses with white oak, cream cabinetry or warm stone do better with the beige side.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige SW 7036, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Edgecomb Gray vs Accessible Beige SW 7036

Edgecomb Gray is noticeably lighter; both have a noticeable yellow-beige undertone.

Accessible Beige SW 7036 is the closest thing Sherwin-Williams has to this color in the popular range, five points darker and slightly deeper in its warmth. Both read as beige-forward greiges rather than grays. The difference on a wall is depth, not direction: Accessible Beige gives a room noticeably more color, this one keeps it light. Sample them together if a whole open plan is at stake, because the extra five points show over a large area.

Living room walls rendered in Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist OC-27, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Edgecomb Gray vs Balboa Mist OC-27

Edgecomb Gray is a touch darker; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs subtle yellow-beige.

Balboa Mist OC-27 is two points lighter and carries far less pigment, so the two behave differently even though they measure close in brightness. Balboa Mist borrows its character from the room; this color brings its own. In a bedroom with gray bedding and cool flooring Balboa Mist will look right and Edgecomb Gray will look yellow. In a room full of oak and cream the order reverses.

Questions about Edgecomb Gray

Is Baby Fawn OC-15 the same color as Edgecomb Gray?

Yes. Benjamin Moore sells the same paint under two names and two codes, the Historical Colors code HC-173 and the Off White code OC-15, and the measured values are identical: same hex, same reflectance, same warm lean. A third number, 972, points at the same color again. Order by whichever code your store uses and the can will be the same.

Does Edgecomb Gray look green?

Rarely, and only in the right company. Its measurement holds a large amount of yellow and only a trace of green, so what most people see is beige. The green trace shows up beside cool gray tile, a blue-toned counter or gray-washed flooring, where the beige has nothing to hold onto. Warm up the floor or the counter and the green disappears.

Is there a Sherwin-Williams version of Edgecomb Gray?

Not officially, since the brands do not cross-reference each other, but two Sherwin-Williams colors measure very close: Dumpling SW 9616 and Accolade SW 9516, both near enough that the difference on a wall is small. Accolade is the one people most often bring to the counter. Among colors with a page here, Accessible Beige SW 7036 is the nearest well-known match and is a step darker.

Is Edgecomb Gray good for kitchen cabinets?

It is one of the most used cabinet colors in this part of the deck. On door fronts it reads as a warm light beige rather than a white, which suits oak floors, brass hardware and marble with warm veining. Keep the walls a shade lighter or go white, otherwise the kitchen loses its edges. Against a cool white quartz counter the doors will look yellow.

Is Edgecomb Gray good in a bathroom?

It depends on the tile more than the room. With warm stone, a wood vanity or unlacquered brass it looks settled and forgiving. With white subway tile, chrome and cool downlights it can look dingy, because there is nothing else warm to justify the beige. If the bathroom is cool and bright, a lighter and less yellow color will hold up better.

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 Edgecomb Gray, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.