Accessible Beige (SW 7036) vs Modern Gray (SW 7632)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Modern Gray, LRV 62 vs 58.
- Warmer
- Accessible Beige, both greige (Lab b* 8.8 vs 6.5).
- North rooms
- Modern Gray keeps more brightness (L* 79.2 vs 76.7 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Cotton White SW 7104, #F7EFE3, LRV 87: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.4, noticeably different. At 2.4, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Accessible Beige
More comparisons with Accessible Beige
Modern Gray
More comparisons with Modern Gray
Accessible Beige (SW 7036) is slightly darker than Modern Gray (SW 7632) and slightly warmer: LRV 58 vs 62, deltaE 2.4 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Accessible Beige | Modern Gray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7036 | SW 7632 | |
| Hex | #D1C7B8 | #D6CEC3 | |
| RGB | 209, 199, 184 | 214, 206, 195 | |
| HSL | 36°, 21%, 77% | 35°, 19%, 80% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 58 | 62 | −4 |
| Lab L* | 80.7 | 83.1 | −2.5 |
| Lab a* | 0.9 | 0.9 | +0.1 |
| Lab b* | 8.8 | 6.5 | +2.3 |
| Undertone | Warm Sandy | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Accessible Beige (SW 7036), published as #D1C7B8
#C0BDB6
#E2D1B8
Modern Gray (SW 7632), published as #D6CEC3
#C5C4C1
#E8D8C3
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Modern Gray (SW 7632) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 4 LRV points lighter (62 vs 58), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Modern Gray (SW 7632) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 6.5 against 8.8, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Accessible Beige (SW 7036) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 8.8), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Accessible Beige in other brands
Closest matches to Modern Gray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Accessible Beige the same color as Modern Gray?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.4. Most people can see the difference between Accessible Beige and Modern Gray side by side.
- Which is lighter, Accessible Beige or Modern Gray?
- Modern Gray, with an LRV of 62 against 58.
Full pages
Related comparisons
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.