Thunder
Benjamin Moore
AF-685
Thunder is a soft gray-taupe that manages to feel both warm and rainy-day moody at once. It works in bedrooms, living rooms, and offices as a heavier alternative to light greige, especially with white trim and pale oak floors. The taupe keeps it from reading industrial, while the gray keeps it from going beige.
Some brands don't share official hex codes. The digital values shown here are careful approximations. Always confirm with a physical sample.
Close matches
Sherwin-Williams: Mindful Gray SW 7016 (#BCB7AD) · Anew Gray SW 7030 (#BFB6AA) · Amazing Gray SW 7044 (#BEB5A9)
Farrow & Ball: Purbeck Stone No. 275 (#C0BCB3) · Elephant's Breath No. 229 (#C7BEB3) · Drop Cloth No. 283 (#C5BDAC)
Similar Benjamin Moore colors: Himalayan Trek 1542 (#BEB8AE) · Cosmopolitan CSP-100 (#BBB6A9) · Bone Black CW-715 (#B9B8AE)
Common questions
What is the hex code for Thunder?
The hex code for Benjamin Moore Thunder AF-685 is #BDB8AD. In RGB that is 189, 184, 173. Use these values to reproduce Thunder in SketchUp, Canva, Photoshop, Figma, or rendering software for client presentations and mood boards.
What is the Sherwin-Williams equivalent of Thunder?
The closest Sherwin-Williams match for Thunder is Mindful Gray SW 7016 (#BCB7AD). No cross-brand match is exact, because each brand mixes its own pigment formulas. Always confirm with a physical sample before specifying a substitute.
Is Thunder warm or cool?
Thunder is a warm gray. Its taupe undertone gives it an enveloping, stone-like quality rather than a crisp one. With an LRV of approximately 48, it sits at mid-light, so it reads as a definite gray in bright rooms and deepens meaningfully in dim ones. It flatters natural textures like linen and oak, and it tends to look its best in rooms with soft, diffused light.
Why does Thunder look different on screen than on the wall?
Screens emit light while paint reflects it, so a hex code cannot capture how lighting, sheen, and surrounding colors shift paint in a real room. Treat #BDB8AD as accurate for digital design work, and use physical samples for final approval.
What LRV does Thunder have?
Thunder has a Light Reflectance Value of approximately 48, meaning it reflects about 48% of visible light. That mid-range depth reads as a true color on the wall without going dark.
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