Gray Matters (SW 7066)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Gray Matters (SW 7066) is a deep, neutral gray from Sherwin-Williams: LRV 39, so it reflects about 39 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Gray Matters
Four Sherwin-Williams colors picked for Gray Matters by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper gray, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Sherwin-Williams did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Gray Matters, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Moore | Platinum Gray | HC-179 | 39.6 | 0.3 | indistinguishable |
| Behr | Great Graphite | PPU24-18 | 37.8 | 0.8 | indistinguishable |
| Valspar | Wet Pavement | 5006-2A | 38 | 0.8 | indistinguishable |
| PPG Paints | Stepping Stone | 1010-4 | 38 | 1.7 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Sherwin-Williams
The Sherwin-Williams gray colors nearest to Gray Matters (LRV 39) by LRV.
Lighter than Gray Matters
Darker than Gray Matters
Color data
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
|---|---|
| Color code | SW 7066 |
| Hex | #A7A8A2 |
| RGB | 167, 168, 162 |
| HSL | 70°, 3%, 65% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 39 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 68.6, -1.5, 3.0 |
| Undertone | Neutral |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Gray Matters (SW 7066), published as #A7A8A2
#969EA0
#B8B2A2
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Sherwin-Williams
More from Sherwin-Williams
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Gray Matters (SW 7066)?
- Gray Matters has an LRV of 39. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Gray Matters is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Gray Matters in another brand?
- Platinum Gray (BM HC-179) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 0.3 (indistinguishable).
- Is Gray Matters warm or cool?
- Sherwin-Williams lists Gray Matters as neutral, with a Neutral undertone. Its Lab b* value is 3.0; 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.