Lava Gray (PPG 1038-6)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Lava Gray (PPG 1038-6) is a very deep, neutral gray from PPG Paints: LRV 13, so it reflects about 13 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Lava Gray
Four PPG Paints colors picked for Lava Gray by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper gray, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. PPG Paints did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Lava 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 | Grays Harbor | SW 6236 | 12 | 1.9 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Powell Gray | CW-665 | 14.6 | 1.5 | very close |
| Behr | Calligraphy | N490-6 | 12.1 | 2.1 | very close |
| Valspar | Cobalt Cannon | 5001-2C | 12 | 2.8 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in PPG Paints
The PPG Paints gray colors nearest to Lava Gray (LRV 13) by LRV.
Lighter than Lava Gray
Darker than Lava Gray
Color data
| Brand | PPG Paints |
|---|---|
| Color code | 1038-6 |
| Hex | #5E686D |
| RGB | 94, 104, 109 |
| HSL | 200°, 7%, 40% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 13 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 43.3, -2.7, -4.1 |
| Undertone | Cool |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Lava Gray (PPG 1038-6), published as #5E686D
#4D5F6B
#6F716D
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from PPG Paints
More from PPG Paints
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Lava Gray (PPG 1038-6)?
- Lava Gray has an LRV of 13. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Lava Gray is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Lava Gray in another brand?
- Powell Gray (BM CW-665) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 1.5 (very close).
- Is Lava Gray warm or cool?
- PPG Paints lists Lava Gray as neutral, with a Cool undertone. Its Lab b* value is -4.1; 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.