Universal Khaki

SW 6150 · Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams

Universal Khaki

SW 6150

Hex code

#B8A992

Light reflectance value (LRV)

40.5Light-medium, light with some depth

0 black100 white

Undertone

Noticeable yellow-beige, a warm color

Color family: Neutral
Sold for: Interior and exterior

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Sherwin-Williams Universal Khaki SW 6150 is a warm mid-tone khaki, a tan with an open yellow lean. Its LRV of 41 is deep enough to read as a full color on a wall without going dark. It carries more visible yellow than the beiges people usually compare it to, which is what makes it khaki rather than greige. Sherwin-Williams put it in its Colormix Forecast 2026 palette, and it is used on exteriors, in living rooms and dens, and on cabinets.

Updated September 2, 2026

Is Universal Khaki warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers

leans yellow

Undertone

Noticeable yellow-beige

graysaturated

A visible lean you see in daylight.

Measured, Universal Khaki has a clear amount of yellow and only a trace of red. Our method calls the lean noticeable: this is a tan you see as tan from across the room, not a warmed gray. Next to white trim it reads golden. Next to honey oak or pine the yellow in both stacks up and the wall can go flat gold. Cool gray tile pulls it the other way, toward olive, because a khaki with this little red sits close to the green family. Its nearest neighbor, Portico SW 7548, is hard to tell apart and a touch lighter. Balanced Beige SW 7037 has more red and looks rosy beside it.

Universal Khaki in north, south, east and west light

Universal Khaki wants daylight. In a north-facing room it loses its gold and settles into a grayer, cooler khaki, the color of wet sand. It also reads a step darker there than the chip; the warm lean keeps it from going cold. South rooms bring out the tan and turn it creamy by afternoon. East rooms are warmest at breakfast and grayer by evening. West rooms are the risk, because late sun tips the yellow toward gold. Warm bulbs, 2700K to 3000K, keep it true; anything cooler drains the warmth and leaves a muddy tan.

Watch for

Beside honey oak or pine the yellow in both stacks up and the wall goes flat gold
Against cool gray tile or a blue-gray sofa it drifts toward olive
In a dim north room under cool bulbs it turns muddy rather than moody

Best rooms and surfaces for Universal Khaki

Universal Khaki suits rooms with big windows and warm furniture: a living room with leather and wood, a den, a mudroom. It works in an entry or hallway only where that space gets daylight; with one small window the mid-tone depth reads heavy. On kitchen cabinets it makes a warm, earthy lower run under a pale counter. It then needs a white upper or wall such as Panda White SW 6147 so the kitchen does not go all tan. In a bedroom it is calm but warm, best facing east or south. Skip it in a windowless bathroom, where cool LEDs turn it to flat mustard. As a whole-house color it is a lot of yellow. Most people run the lighter Relaxed Khaki SW 6149 through the main rooms and keep Universal Khaki for one room or the outside.

Universal Khaki on an exterior

Universal Khaki is a common exterior body color, and full sun makes it read lighter and yellower than the chip, close to a light tan. In shade and on the north side it holds a deeper, grayer khaki. The sunny and shaded faces of the house will not match exactly. White trim keeps the lines crisp; a cream trim melts into it. Black, deep bronze and dark green all hold on the front door, and Urbane Bronze SW 7048 is a common pairing on doors and shutters.

Try Universal Khaki on your own walls

Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Universal Khaki 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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Universal Khaki vs Accessible Beige, Balanced Beige and Natural Linen

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

Universal Khaki vs Accessible Beige SW 7036

Universal Khaki is much darker; both have a noticeable yellow-beige undertone.

Accessible Beige SW 7036 is the lighter, quieter beige, an LRV of 58 against 41. It is noticeably lighter and reads as a light stone beige where Universal Khaki reads as a full tan. Both measure noticeable yellow-beige, but Universal Khaki carries clearly more yellow. Pick Accessible Beige for whole-house walls and small rooms. Pick Universal Khaki for one warm room, an exterior, or a wall that has to hold its own next to wood.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Balanced Beige SW 7037, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Universal Khaki vs Balanced Beige SW 7037

Universal Khaki is noticeably darker; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs noticeable orange.

Balanced Beige SW 7037 is a touch lighter than Universal Khaki and leans orange where Universal Khaki leans yellow. On the wall that is the gap between a rosy tan and a khaki. Put the two chips together and Balanced Beige looks pink, Universal Khaki looks green. Pick Balanced Beige for a room with pink-beige tile, brick or terracotta; pick Universal Khaki for a room with green, navy or black.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Natural Linen SW 9109, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Universal Khaki vs Natural Linen SW 9109

Universal Khaki is much darker; both have a noticeable yellow-beige undertone.

Natural Linen SW 9109 is much lighter, an LRV of 66, and sits in the same yellow direction with far less of it. It reads as a cream-beige where Universal Khaki reads as a tan. They work as a pair, Natural Linen on the main walls and Universal Khaki on an accent wall or the exterior. Choose Natural Linen alone for a dark house; choose Universal Khaki alone for a bright one.

Questions about Universal Khaki

What colors go with Universal Khaki?

Sherwin-Williams pairs it with Panda White SW 6147 on trim and ceilings and Wool Skein SW 6148 as a lighter wall partner. Its named accent is Mediterranean SW 7617, a muted blue-green. In practice it also sits well with navy, black, deep olive, white oak and brass. Avoid pink-beige tile and orange-toned wood, which make it look green.

Does Universal Khaki look green?

It can, by contrast. Measured, Universal Khaki has almost no red. Beside anything pink or peach, such as a rosy beige carpet, terracotta or a red-brown floor, the eye reads it as olive. Against a warm white, oak or brass it reads as a plain tan. If the room already has pink-beige finishes, Balanced Beige SW 7037 is the safer khaki.

What is one shade lighter than Universal Khaki?

Relaxed Khaki SW 6149, the next color up its fan-deck strip, is a step lighter with the same amount of yellow. The two run together well in an open plan. The strip continues down to Urban Jungle SW 9117. Among its closest matches, Khaki Shade SW 7533 is a touch lighter and very close in tone.

Is Universal Khaki a 2026 color?

Sherwin-Williams included Universal Khaki in its Colormix Forecast 2026, in the group it calls Foundational Neutrals. That is why the year turns up next to the name in searches. The color itself is not new; the forecast is a design palette, not a limited release, and it is sold like any other Sherwin-Williams color.

Is Universal Khaki good for kitchen cabinets?

On lower cabinets and islands it works, giving a warm earthy base under a light counter. On every cabinet in the room it is a lot of tan, and under cool LED strips it can go mustard. Keep the walls and uppers in a white such as Panda White SW 6147 or Pure White SW 7005, and pick warm-toned hardware over chrome.

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 Universal Khaki, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.