Urbane Bronze

SW 7048 · Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams

Urbane Bronze

SW 7048

Hex code

#54504A

Light reflectance value (LRV)

8.1Very dark, close to black on a wall

0 black100 white

Undertone

Subtle yellow-brown, a warm color

Color family: Neutral
Sold for: Interior and exterior

Try it on your walls Get a sample

Sherwin-Williams Urbane Bronze SW 7048 is a very dark warm neutral, a charcoal with a brown base rather than a black. Its LRV of 8 puts it near the bottom of the scale. The undertone is a subtle yellow-brown. It works on exteriors, front doors, cabinets, and accent walls in rooms with good light.

Is Urbane Bronze warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers

leans yellow

Undertone

Subtle yellow-brown

graysaturated

A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.

Urbane Bronze is not a plain gray and not a black. Measured, nearly all of its small amount of color is yellow with a hair of red, which reads as brown; there is so little that the brown stays in the background and the wall reads as a warm charcoal. Next to a true black like Tricorn Black SW 6258 the brown base is easy to see, and the materials around it decide the rest: warm wood and brass bring out the bronze, cool grays and chrome pull it toward gray. It shares its fan-deck strip and warm gray base with Worldly Gray SW 7043 and Amazing Gray SW 7044, only much darker.

Urbane Bronze in north, south, east and west light

South and west rooms suit Urbane Bronze best: there is enough light for the brown to show, and the warmth of the afternoon sun brings out the bronze. North rooms are the ones to watch, where weak, cool light drops the brown out and the walls can read as a flat near-black; in the evening the bulbs decide, so plan the lamps before you commit.

Watch for

North rooms with one small window: the brown drops out and it can read as a flat near-black.
The wall across from the window goes darker than the chip, so test the sample there too.
Satin and gloss finishes show roller marks and touch-ups on a color this dark in raking light.

Best rooms and surfaces for Urbane Bronze

Urbane Bronze is at its best where a dark color can be an object rather than a box: kitchen cabinets, an island, a fireplace wall, built-ins, interior doors, and the front door. On cabinets its brown base reads softer than black and pairs with brass, bronze, and aged-iron hardware; against Shoji White SW 7042 walls it gives doors and trim a strong outline with a warm edge. All four walls work in a powder room, study, or bedroom with good daylight or good lamps. It falls flat in a small north-facing room, where it reads as a flat dark gray, and on a standard ceiling. It sits well with white oak, walnut, terracotta, and pale stone; against cool gray tile or a blue-white counter it can look dull.

Urbane Bronze on an exterior

Sherwin-Williams lists Urbane Bronze among its top exterior colors, and outdoors it can read a step lighter and browner than the chip, since full sun brings the yellow-brown forward. Trim in Shoji White SW 7042 gives a soft contrast, Extra White SW 7006 a crisp one. Paint the door Tricorn Black SW 6258 or Iron Ore SW 7069 for a darker step, or use Urbane Bronze itself as the door and shutter color on a lighter house.

Try Urbane Bronze on your own walls

Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Urbane Bronze 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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Urbane Bronze vs Iron Ore, Tricorn Black and Pewter Green

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore SW 7069, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Urbane Bronze vs Iron Ore SW 7069

Urbane Bronze is a touch lighter; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs none (a true neutral).

Iron Ore SW 7069 is a touch darker and a true neutral with no measurable lean, so it reads as a soft black where Urbane Bronze reads as a warm charcoal. Pick Iron Ore when you want a black that is gentler than Tricorn Black SW 6258. Pick Urbane Bronze when there is warm wood, brass, or leather to match, or when you want the exterior to read brown in the sun rather than black.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black SW 6258, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Urbane Bronze vs Tricorn Black SW 6258

Urbane Bronze is noticeably lighter; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs none (a true neutral).

Tricorn Black SW 6258 is a true black, noticeably darker than Urbane Bronze, with no warm or cool lean. The gap shows most on a front door or cabinets in daylight: Tricorn Black stays black, Urbane Bronze shows brown. Choose Tricorn Black for the hardest contrast against white trim and for a crisp modern line. Choose Urbane Bronze when black feels too severe, or when the room has warm wood and brick to tie into.

Living room walls rendered in Sherwin-Williams Pewter Green SW 6208, white trim, ceiling and wood floor unchanged

Urbane Bronze vs Pewter Green SW 6208

Urbane Bronze is noticeably darker; undertone subtle yellow-brown vs subtle yellow-leaning green.

Pewter Green SW 6208 is noticeably lighter and leans green where Urbane Bronze leans brown. Both are dark, muted colors for cabinets and exteriors. Pick Pewter Green when you want a color rather than a neutral and the room has warm wood to hold the green. Pick Urbane Bronze when you want the darkness without a visible hue, or as the dark partner to a warm gray scheme such as Agreeable Gray SW 7029.

Questions about Urbane Bronze

Is Urbane Bronze brown or gray?

It is a dark gray with a brown base, so the short answer is both. Its measured undertone is a subtle yellow-brown, and there is very little of it, so the brown shows most next to a true black or a cool gray. It is usually described as a warm charcoal or a bronze-brown.

What colors go with Urbane Bronze?

Shoji White SW 7042 is the white Sherwin-Williams coordinates with it, a warm white that keeps the scheme soft; Extra White SW 7006 gives the sharpest edge. It also sits well with white oak, walnut, terracotta and pale stone, and with brass, bronze and aged-iron hardware.

What is one shade lighter than Urbane Bronze?

Porpoise SW 7047 is the next shade lighter on its fan-deck strip, a clear jump from LRV 8 to 13. Urbane Bronze is the darkest color on the strip; the usual darker steps are Iron Ore SW 7069 and Tricorn Black SW 6258.

Is Urbane Bronze good for exteriors?

Yes. Sherwin-Williams lists it among its top exterior colors, and it gives a dark body color that still shows a little brown in full sun, which a true black does not. Pair it with Shoji White SW 7042 or Extra White SW 7006 trim. Expect it to read lighter outside than on the chip.

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 Urbane Bronze, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.