Ultimate Gray17-5104 · #939597
Pantone named Ultimate Gray the 2021 Color of the Year. Matches multiple brand mid-grays; pair page Illuminating + Gray noted but skip yellow side.
Pantone's PMS color codes are the universal spec for designers, printers, and manufacturers — but Pantone itself doesn't sell wall paint. The closest matches in every major US paint brand are below, ranked by ΔE2000 perceptual distance.
Pantone spec
| Year | 2021 |
| Name | Ultimate Gray |
| PMS code | 17-5104 |
| Hex | #939597 |
| RGB | 147, 149, 151 |
| LRV | 30 |
| Undertone | true neutral (no measurable hue) |
| Family | Gray |
Kompozit closest match
Closest matches at every US brand
10 brands · top 5 each5 closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all gray from that brand.
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Sherwin-Williams
Valspar
Dunn-Edwards
PPG / Glidden
Magnolia Home
Farrow & Ball
Clare
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #939597 in HSL space. Use as a starting point for a coordinated room scheme.
Other Pantone Color of the Year picks
About Pantone Color of the Year 2021
Pantone announces a Color of the Year every December for the calendar year ahead — Ultimate Gray (17-5104) is the 2021 pick. The program started in 2000 with Cerulean and has driven a season of follow-on launches every year since: fashion collections, branded products, magazine covers, and — most relevant here — paint-deck additions. By the spring after a Pantone announcement, every major US paint brand has typically pushed at least one "close to Ultimate Gray" suggestion into their marketing.
Pantone's PMS codes are a printing-and-design spec, not a paint formula. 17-5104 translates to the hex value #939597 in standard sRGB, but that hex won't match the spot-color ink chip exactly, and no paint brand reproduces it perfectly either. The closest matches above are ranked by ΔE2000 — the modern perceptual color-distance formula — across every major US deck plus the Kompozit catalog. Pick the brand whose match is closest, or the one whose other colors you're already using elsewhere in the room. Always sample on the wall before committing; metameric shifts under different bulbs will move any "match" by a few perceptual units.