Puritan Gray (BM HC-164)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Puritan Gray (BM HC-164) is a deep, neutral gray from Benjamin Moore: LRV 34.3, so it reflects about 34 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Puritan Gray
Four Benjamin Moore colors picked for Puritan Gray by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper gray, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Benjamin Moore did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Puritan Gray, 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 | Earl Grey | SW 7660 | 32 | 2.3 | very close |
| Behr | Brampton Gray | PPU11-16 | 35.2 | 1.2 | very close |
| Valspar | Seafoam Storm | 5002-1C | 34 | 1.5 | very close |
| PPG Paints | After The Storm | 1036-4 | 33 | 3.6 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Benjamin Moore
The Benjamin Moore gray colors nearest to Puritan Gray (LRV 34.3) by LRV.
Lighter than Puritan Gray
Darker than Puritan Gray
Color data
| Brand | Benjamin Moore |
|---|---|
| Color code | HC-164 |
| Hex | #979F9B |
| RGB | 151, 159, 155 |
| HSL | 150°, 4%, 61% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 34.3 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 64.8, -3.6, 1.1 |
| Undertone | Neutral |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Puritan Gray (BM HC-164), published as #979F9B
#869599
#A8A99B
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Benjamin Moore
More from Benjamin Moore
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Puritan Gray (BM HC-164)?
- Puritan Gray has an LRV of 34.3. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Puritan Gray is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Puritan Gray in another brand?
- Brampton Gray (Behr PPU11-16) from Behr, at a deltaE of 1.2 (very close).
- Is Puritan Gray warm or cool?
- Benjamin Moore lists Puritan Gray as neutral, with a Neutral undertone. Its Lab b* value is 1.1; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). 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.