Pencil Sketch (Behr N500-4)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Pencil Sketch (Behr N500-4) is a deep, neutral gray from Behr: LRV 33.4, so it reflects about 33 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Pencil Sketch
Four Behr colors picked for Pencil Sketch by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper gray, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Behr did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Pencil Sketch, ranked by CIEDE2000 (deltaE): under 1.0 is indistinguishable, 1.0 to 2.3 very close, 2.3 to 5 noticeably different, over 5 clearly different.
| Brand | Closest color | Code | LRV | deltaE | How close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | African Gray | SW 9162 | 31 | 1.7 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Pewter | 2121-30 | 33.8 | 1.1 | very close |
| Valspar | Stone Mason Gray | 4008-1C | 34 | 1.2 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Ufo | 1011-4 | 34 | 1.9 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr gray colors nearest to Pencil Sketch (LRV 33.4 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Pencil Sketch
Darker than Pencil Sketch
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | N500-4 |
| Hex | #999D9E |
| RGB | 153, 157, 158 |
| HSL | 192°, 3%, 61% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 33.4 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 64.5, -1.2, -1.0 |
| Undertone | Neutral |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Pencil Sketch (Behr N500-4), published as #999D9E
#88939C
#AAA79E
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Behr
More from Behr
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Pencil Sketch (Behr N500-4)?
- Pencil Sketch has an LRV of 33.4 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Pencil Sketch is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Pencil Sketch in another brand?
- Pewter (BM 2121-30) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 1.1 (very close).
- Is Pencil Sketch warm or cool?
- Behr lists Pencil Sketch as neutral, with a Neutral undertone. Its Lab b* value is -1.0; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); LRV is not published by Behr for this color and is estimated here from the color's own hex value. Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.