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Hex · Undertone

Color Undertone Identifier

Paste a hex code or pick a swatch; we’ll classify it as warm, cool, or neutral and call out two high-trap categories: the greige trap (warm grey that reads pink next to true grey) and the taupe-mauve crossover (warm taupe that goes lavender under LEDs).

Inputs

e.g. #C9C2B6, #F4EAD9, #6F944D

Try these swatches

Analysis

Verdict

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Undertone lean

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Light-source flag

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Side-by-side render

Same color under 3000K incandescent, 4000K neutral LED, and 6500K daylight. Watch for shifts in the same wall.

What problem this solves

Designers spec a “warm grey” or “greige,” install it, and the next day a client says it looks pink. The reason is that greige sits between yellow-grey and red-grey; the path the color takes depends on the pigment load and the light source. This calculator does the colorimetric analysis in CIE Lab and tells you where the undertone actually sits.

Who it’s for

Limitations

Common questions

Why does my grey wall look different in every room?

Likely the room has different light sources (incandescent vs LED vs daylight). Greiges have metameric issues — they match one light but read completely different under another. The render panel shows you the same color under three typical sources.

What’s the greige trap?

Greige is a warm grey. If the warmth comes from red (instead of yellow), the wall reads pink next to a true grey. The fix is to add a complementary green tint or move the base toward yellow. This tool flags when a color is closer to red-grey than yellow-grey.

Is white paint still safe?

No. White paints are notoriously undertone-laden. Some popular whites lean purple (Benjamin Moore White Dove), others lean yellow (Decorator’s White). Always sample large (at least 1 m²) and view under the room’s actual lighting.

About this tool

One of 36 interior design calculators on InteriorLab. Calculations are client-side; no values stored.

Privacy

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Disclaimer

Estimates only. Always confirm undertone with a physical sample. See full Disclaimer.