Porpoise
SW 7047 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Porpoise
SW 7047
Subtle yellow-brown, a warm color
- Color family
- Neutral
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Sherwin-Williams Porpoise SW 7047 is a dark warm gray with a subtle yellow-brown undertone, the shade between Anonymous SW 7046 and Urbane Bronze SW 7048 on the same fan-deck strip. Its LRV of 13 keeps it a gray rather than a black: dark enough to feel like a statement on four walls, light enough that the brown in it stays visible. It is used mainly on exteriors, then on cabinets, doors and accent walls where Urbane Bronze feels a step too dark.
Updated
Is Porpoise warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans yellow
Undertone
Subtle yellow-brown
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
Porpoise measures warm with a subtle yellow-brown undertone, the same lean as Urbane Bronze SW 7048 with a little more of it and a good deal more light. On a wall that reads as taupe-gray: gray at first glance, brown once white trim sits beside it. Warm oak and brass pull it toward brown; cool tile and chrome pull it back to gray, and a blue-white trim can make it look muddy. It is nothing like Tricorn Black SW 6258 or Iron Ore SW 7069, both neutral and far darker; beside Porpoise they read black and it reads a warm mid-dark gray. Limestone SW 9599 and Griffin SW 7026 are its near twins, and Griffin is a hair browner.
Porpoise in north, south, east and west light
Porpoise reads a step grayer and cooler in a north-facing room, and darker than its LRV suggests, but the yellow-brown keeps it from going cold. That makes it one of the safer dark warm grays for a north bedroom or office. South rooms bring out the brown, especially in the afternoon, when it can look almost taupe. East rooms show the warmth at breakfast and lose it by evening. Strong west sun can push it toward a golden brown for an hour. Bulbs at 2700K to 3000K keep it true; 4000K bulbs drain the warmth and leave a plain dark gray.
Watch for
- Afternoon south light can turn it more taupe than the chip suggests; check it against your floor at that hour.
- A blue-white trim such as Extra White SW 7006 can make it look muddy; a warm white suits it better.
- Beside orange oak it reads browner and beside gray tile it reads grayer; it takes its side from its neighbors.
Best rooms and surfaces for Porpoise
Porpoise is a whole-room dark for people who want warmth without going black. On all four walls of a bedroom, study or dining room it feels enclosed and soft, and under warm lamps it reads as a brown-gray rather than a charcoal. On kitchen cabinets it is a gentler alternative to Urbane Bronze SW 7048, warm enough for wood counters and brass, gray enough for white quartz. An accent wall behind a bed or around a fireplace works with Shoji White SW 7042 on the other walls. It sits well with white oak, walnut, leather and cream stone; with cool gray tile or a blue-gray sofa it can look dull. Windowless bathrooms and narrow hallways are the places to avoid, where it loses its warmth and reads dingy.
Porpoise on an exterior
Porpoise is rated for exterior use, and exteriors are what people search it for most. It suits a house with stone, brick or a brown roof, where a neutral charcoal would sit apart from the materials. It is also the softer body color where Urbane Bronze SW 7048 reads too dark across a big elevation. Shoji White SW 7042 trim keeps the scheme warm; Extra White SW 7006 outlines it more sharply but can read cold against it. For the door, Urbane Bronze stays in the family and Iron Ore SW 7069 gives a harder step. Shutters in Porpoise on a cream house read as a warm gray, not black.
Try Porpoise on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Porpoise 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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Porpoise vs Urbane Bronze, Anonymous, Iron Ore and Pewter Green
Urbane BronzePorpoisePorpoise vs Urbane Bronze SW 7048
Porpoise is noticeably lighter; both have a subtle yellow-brown undertone.
Urbane Bronze SW 7048 is the next color down the strip and noticeably darker, an LRV of 8 against 13. Both are warm with the same yellow-brown lean, so the choice is depth. Urbane Bronze reads as a charcoal with brown in it; Porpoise reads as a brown-gray you can still see as gray in a dim room. Pick Urbane Bronze for a dark front door or cabinets meant to read near-black. Pick Porpoise for four walls or a whole house where Urbane Bronze would feel heavy.
AnonymousPorpoisePorpoise vs Anonymous SW 7046
Porpoise is noticeably darker; both have a subtle yellow-brown undertone.
Anonymous SW 7046 is one step lighter on the same strip, an LRV of 20, with the same warm lean and slightly more of it. Both read as taupe-gray; Anonymous is a medium-dark wall color and Porpoise is the darker, moodier version. Choose Anonymous for a living room or a whole-house exterior that should stay clearly gray in shade. Choose Porpoise when the room or the house should read dark.
Iron OrePorpoisePorpoise vs Iron Ore SW 7069
Porpoise is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs none (a true neutral).
Iron Ore SW 7069 is far darker, an LRV of 6, and a true neutral with no measurable warmth. On a wall it reads as a soft black; Porpoise reads as a warm gray with more than twice the light. They are rarely the same decision. Iron Ore is the door, trim or cabinet color that anchors a light room, and Porpoise is a wall color. Together they work, Porpoise walls with an Iron Ore door, because the brown in Porpoise stops the pairing from feeling cold.
Pewter GreenPorpoisePorpoise vs Pewter Green SW 6208
Porpoise is a touch lighter; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs subtle yellow-leaning green.
Pewter Green SW 6208 is a shade darker, an LRV of 12, and a dark green-gray that leans green where Porpoise leans yellow-brown. Both are muted darks for cabinets and exteriors. Pick Pewter Green when you want the surface to read as a color, a green in daylight. Pick Porpoise when you want a neutral that reads brown-gray and does not commit to a color.
Questions about Porpoise
Is Porpoise gray or brown?
Both, depending on what sits beside it. Porpoise measures as a warm gray with a subtle yellow-brown undertone, so beside a cool gray or a white it looks brown. Beside real brown, walnut or a tan sofa, it looks gray. Most people land on taupe-gray. The brown shows most in afternoon south light and least in a north room.
What colors go with Porpoise?
For Porpoise, Sherwin-Williams lists Shoji White SW 7042 on trim and ceilings, with Eider White SW 7014 and Limón Fresco SW 9030 as accents. In practice it pairs with warm whites, white oak, walnut, leather, cream stone and brass. The lighter colors on its own strip, Worldly Gray SW 7043 or Amazing Gray SW 7044, make an easy two-tone scheme on the other walls.
What is one shade lighter than Porpoise?
Anonymous SW 7046 is the next color up the fan-deck strip, a step from an LRV of 13 to 20 that reads as a clear medium-dark gray. One shade darker is Urbane Bronze SW 7048, the last color on the strip. For a step so small it barely shows, Limestone SW 9599 among its closest matches is a near twin at the same depth.
Does Porpoise work as a whole-house exterior color?
Yes. Full sun brings its yellow-brown forward, so a whole house in Porpoise reads as a warm medium-dark gray from the street, close to a weathered brown. The shaded elevations go grayer and deeper, and it never reads black. Where even that feels too dark, Anonymous SW 7046 is the lighter step. Check that the siding is rated for a dark color before painting it.
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 Porpoise, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
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