Steely Gaze is a true neutral — the rare paint color that doesn't push warm or cool, which makes it forgiving across mixed-lighting rooms and existing palettes. At LRV 60 it sits in the comfortable mid-light range — bright enough for living areas, soft enough for bedrooms, and adaptable across most lighting conditions. Skip it only if you specifically want a clear warm or cool bias — a true neutral stays intentionally undecided, which is the whole point.
Ref. #CDCCCA · PPG0996-2
Steely Gaze
60%LRV Value
Steely Gaze Technical Profile
What color is PPG Steely Gaze (PPG0996-2)? It's a light neutral gray — hex #CDCCCA, LRV 60. The closest cross-brand equivalent to Steely Gaze is Benjamin Moore Cement Gray — a near-identical match on the wall, with Benjamin Moore Metro Gray and Valspar Filtered Shade also close. At LRV 60, Steely Gaze sits in the comfortable mid-light range — bright enough for living areas yet soft enough for bedrooms, and adaptable across most lighting conditions. Steely Gaze is a true neutral — pair with any wood, any metal, any trim color. Off-white trim works in most homes; brushed nickel or matte black hardware both read well across spaces. As a lighter neutral, Steely Gaze works as a whole-room or trim color and keeps adjoining colors reading clean — pair it with crisper whites a step brighter than itself so the trim still separates. True neutrals read consistently across lighting conditions, which is why they're popular base colors. They inherit a faint warm cast under 2700K and a cool cast under 4000K, but never dramatically. Lighter neutrals reveal their undertone most, so Steely Gaze can swing warmer under 2700K bulbs and cleaner under 4000K daylight — sample it against your trim before committing.
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Colors Similar to Steely Gaze
Closest digital match based on color values. Always verify with physical samples.
Cement Gray
Benjamin Moore
Nearly identical
Filtered Shade
Valspar
Nearly identical
Zircon
Sherwin-Williams
Nearly identical
Pewter Vase
Behr
Nearly identical
Moon Beam
Dutch Boy
Nearly identical
Cloud Computing
Dunn-Edwards
Nearly identical
Fading Fog
Vista Paint
Nearly identical
Paternoster
Hirshfield's
Nearly identical
Recommended Pairings
Colors That Work With Steely Gaze
Timeless pairing with clean white trim and a tonal accent wall
Side Walls
Steely Gaze
#CDCCCA
Accent Wall
Tonal Shift
A warm shift that adds depth without clashing.
#A7AD85
Trim & Molding
Pure White
Crisp white trim for a clean, traditional look.
#FFFFFF
Color Palettes for Steely Gaze
Color harmonies based on color theory — each swatch links to the closest matching paint.
Opposite on the color wheel — creates vibrant contrast
Steely Gaze Room Palettes
Color schemes built around this color — each swatch links to the closest matching paint.
Warm & Inviting
Warm tones with cozy appeal — welcoming and comfortable
Cool & Calm
Cool hues with soft contrast — serene and restful
Bold Contrast
Complementary hues with punch — dynamic and striking
Similar PPG Colors
Other PPG colors close to Steely Gaze.
More gray colors from other brands
Cross-brand colors in the gray family — useful when you want a similar look from a different brand.
Steely Gaze — Frequently Asked Questions
What colors match Steely Gaze from other brands?
The closest cross-brand equivalents to Steely Gaze are Cement Gray by Benjamin Moore (a near-identical match), Metro Gray by Benjamin Moore (a near-identical match), Filtered Shade by Valspar (a near-identical match). These are ranked with the CIEDE2000 color-difference formula, which scores how similar two colors actually look to the eye rather than matching them by name — so they're the best options for getting Steely Gaze's look in a brand your local store carries. Always confirm with a physical sample, since sheen and lighting shift the final result.
What is the LRV of Steely Gaze?
Steely Gaze has a Light Reflectance Value (LRV) of 60.4, on a scale where 0 is pure black and 100 is pure white. That makes it a mid-light color — bright enough for living areas yet soft enough for bedrooms, and adaptable across most lighting conditions. LRV is the most reliable guide to how light or dark a paint will read in a real room — more dependable than the swatch on your screen, which varies by monitor.
Explore More with Steely Gaze
Related Reading
How to Match Paint Colors Across Brands
The science behind Delta E and CIEDE2000 — find a Behr equivalent of any Sherwin-Williams shade, or a Benjamin Moore alternative when your store is out of stock.
Paint Sheen Guide
Flat, eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss — the right finish for Steely Gaze depends on the room. Here's how to choose.