Benjamin Moore® Stonington Gray HC-170 is the cleanest cool true gray on the Benjamin Moore Historical Color deck and the unofficial default exterior of Cape Cod, Nantucket, Marblehead, and the broader Northeast coastal strip. It sits at LRV 59 with an approximate hex of #BCBCB6, a clean blue-gray reading with no warm beige pull and no olive shift, which is precisely why it has become the contrast color of choice when Revere Pewter HC-172 starts to feel too warm or too dated. Of 13,611 facade simulations rendered on FacadeColorizer in 2025-2026, Stonington Gray ranked the #4 most-tested Benjamin Moore exterior color at 5% of all BM tests, behind Simply White OC-117, Revere Pewter HC-172, and White Dove OC-17.
This 2026 guide answers one practical question, "Will Stonington Gray HC-170 hold up on my facade in my light?" Below you will find the full technical spec, the four exterior architectures where HC-170 is the natural fit (shingled Cape Cod, Colonial revival, Nantucket-style farmhouse, modern coastal), twelve verified trim pairings with exact Benjamin Moore codes, a direct comparison against Coventry Gray HC-169 (deeper), Revere Pewter HC-172 (warmer), and Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray SW 7015 (the cross-shop), and a step-by-step protocol to preview Stonington Gray on a photo of your own home with our exterior paint visualizer. For the 2026 Color of the Year pillar, see our guide on Benjamin Moore Silhouette AF-655.
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1. What is Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170?
Stonington Gray HC-170 is a cool true gray released as part of the Benjamin Moore Historical Color (HC) Collection. The name references Stonington, Connecticut, a shipbuilding village on the Long Island Sound where the weathered cedar shingle has been the dominant exterior surface for three centuries. The color is the studio approximation of that weathered shingle, cleaned up and tinted for a fresh full-body finish.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Official name | Stonington Gray |
| Benjamin Moore code | HC-170 (Historical Color Collection) |
| Family | Cool true gray, slight blue cast |
| Approximate hex | #BCBCB6 |
| Approximate RGB | 188, 188, 182 |
| LRV (Light Reflectance Value) | 59.0 |
| Undertone | Cool, very slight blue pull, no warm or olive shift |
| Munsell coordinates (approx) | 5Y 7/1 |
| Best recommended product | Aura® Exterior, Regal® Select Exterior |
| Closest Sherwin-Williams match | SW Repose Gray SW 7015 (slightly warmer), SW Agreeable Gray SW 7029 (warmer greige) |
| 2026 status | #1 Benjamin Moore cool gray on Cape Cod and Northeast coastal markets |
Source: Benjamin Moore Historical Color Collection technical data sheet, Painting Contractors Association exterior color tracker 2025-2026, FacadeColorizer internal facade simulation dataset (13,611 renders, 2025-2026).
The LRV of 59 is what separates Stonington Gray from the rest of the cool gray category. At that brightness it sits one tick brighter than Revere Pewter (55.51) and four ticks brighter than Coventry Gray HC-169 (55.0), which means it reads as a confident mid-light color in direct sun and still holds its gray identity in shade. Most "cool grays" on the Benjamin Moore deck either drop into the dark mid-tones below LRV 50 or climb into off-white territory above LRV 70. HC-170 sits in the practical sweet spot for full-body coastal exterior use.
2. Undertones, why Stonington Gray stays clean
The single biggest selling point of Stonington Gray is what it does not do. Unlike Revere Pewter, which shifts olive in flat north light, and unlike Edgecomb Gray, which shifts warm pink in golden hour, Stonington Gray reads as a stable cool true gray across all four orientations and all times of day. The pigment formulation leans on a balanced cool base with a very faint blue cast, which is the same engineering trick that keeps SW Repose Gray SW 7015 stable on the cross-shop side.
- North-facing wall, overcast day. Cool clean gray with a very faint blue pull, no olive, no green. This is the orientation where HC-170 outperforms every warm greige on the deck.
- South-facing wall, midday sun. Reads slightly lighter, holds its gray identity, no warm shift. The blue undertone becomes invisible.
- East-facing wall, morning light. Warmer light pushes HC-170 toward a neutral mid-gray, still no warm beige tone. This is the classic "Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray" reading shown in HGTV® coastal episodes.
- West-facing wall, golden hour. The warm light pulls HC-170 slightly toward a soft mushroom gray. This is the only orientation where the cool base softens, and the effect is flattering, never muddy.
The practical implication is that Stonington Gray HC-170 is the safest cool-gray exterior choice on the Benjamin Moore deck for homeowners who want a "gray house" without committing to the undertone gymnastics that warmer greiges require. For anyone burned by an unexpected olive shift on a Revere Pewter facade, HC-170 is the natural correction. For the warmer counterpart and a side-by-side, see our Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172 guide.
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3. Best paint products for Stonington Gray exterior
Stonington Gray's cool blue pigment base is more UV-stable than warm greiges, which means the product tier matters slightly less for color retention than it does for Revere Pewter or Edgecomb Gray. That said, the standard Benjamin Moore exterior product hierarchy still applies, and the choice on a coastal salt-air facade is not casual.
| Product | Tier | Price/gal | Expected life on Stonington Gray |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aura® Exterior | Premium | $85-95 | 13-16 years (coastal); 14-17 years (inland) |
| Regal® Select Exterior | Mid-premium | $60-70 | 9-12 years |
| Ben® Exterior | Builder | $45-55 | 5-7 years |
Pricing from independent Benjamin Moore retailers, Q1 2026. Service life ranges assume two coats over primed substrate; salt-air coastal exposure reduces life by 1-2 years versus inland.
For coastal Northeast use (Cape Cod, Long Island, coastal Maine), the working recommendation is Aura Exterior across all four elevations, because the salt-air penetration accelerates chalking on cool-pigment paints faster than on warm ones, and Aura's Gennex® colorants resist the chalk-mode failure better than the Regal Select acrylic alone. For inland use in the Mid-Atlantic or Midwest, Regal Select Exterior on north and east elevations with Aura on the south and west is a reasonable cost compromise. For deeper product detail, see our Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior review.
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4. Top exterior trim, door, and accent pairings
Stonington Gray pairs more easily than warm greiges because the cool base accepts both pure whites and warm off-whites without any awkward undertone clash. Below are twelve tested pairings from our 13,611-render dataset, sorted by frequency of use.
| # | Trim / accent color | BM code | LRV | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chantilly Lace | OC-65 | 92 | Trim, crisp clean white |
| 2 | Simply White | OC-117 | 91 | Trim, warm-leaning white |
| 3 | Hale Navy | HC-154 | 7 | Door, Cape Cod headline pairing |
| 4 | Wrought Iron | 2124-10 | 6 | Shutters, windows |
| 5 | White Dove | OC-17 | 85 | Trim, softer alternative |
| 6 | Black Forest Green | 2047-10 | 5 | Door, Colonial revival |
| 7 | Newburyport Blue | HC-155 | 8 | Door, coastal nautical |
| 8 | Iron Mountain | 2134-30 | 10 | Door, modern charcoal |
| 9 | Coventry Gray | HC-169 | 55 | Tone-on-tone accent |
| 10 | Cottage Red | CC-86 | 9 | Door, farmhouse |
| 11 | Decorator's White | OC-149 | 85 | Trim, cool-leaning white |
| 12 | Tricorn Black (SW) | SW 6258 | 3 | Windows, black-frame look |
All BM trim codes verified against the Benjamin Moore 2026 fan deck. LRVs are official Benjamin Moore datasheet values.
The headline recipe in our dataset is Stonington Gray HC-170 body, Chantilly Lace OC-65 trim, Hale Navy HC-154 door, accounting for roughly 28% of all HC-170 exterior renders. The Chantilly Lace pure white trim sharpens the cool gray base and the Hale Navy door anchors the composition with the saturated blue that defines Cape Cod coastal architecture. For the cross-brand version of this conversation, see our Sherwin-Williams vs Benjamin Moore exterior comparison and the broader gray exterior paint colors 2026 guide.
5. Stonington Gray vs Coventry Gray HC-169 vs Revere Pewter HC-172 vs SW Repose Gray
The four colors that come up most often in the same specification conversation as Stonington Gray are Coventry Gray HC-169 (deeper), Revere Pewter HC-172 (warmer greige), and Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray SW 7015 (cross-shop). Here is the direct comparison.
| Color | Brand | LRV | Family | Undertone | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonington Gray HC-170 | Benjamin Moore | 59 | Cool true gray | Faint blue, stable | Coastal Northeast, Cape Cod, shingled facades |
| Coventry Gray HC-169 | Benjamin Moore | 55 | Deeper cool gray | Cool, slightly more blue | Same orientations, when more drama is wanted |
| Revere Pewter HC-172 | Benjamin Moore | 55.51 | Warm greige | Warm beige, olive in N light | Inland Colonial, Craftsman, modern farmhouse |
| Repose Gray SW 7015 | Sherwin-Williams | 58 | Cool greige | Slightly warmer than HC-170 | Cross-shop, broader US deployment |
The practical decision tree is, if your facade is on the Northeast coast and you want a clean cool gray with no warm shift, pick Stonington Gray. If you want the same family but two LRV ticks deeper for a more architectural read, pick Coventry Gray. If you want warmth and a chameleon greige that flexes between gray and beige, pick Revere Pewter. If you are cross-shopping at a Sherwin-Williams store and want the closest approximation to Stonington Gray, pick Repose Gray SW 7015, accepting that it reads slightly warmer than HC-170 in cool light. For the Repose Gray deep-dive, see our SW Repose Gray SW 7015 exterior guide.
6. Style compatibility, where Stonington Gray sings
HC-170 is a coastal color first and a coastal color second. The four styles where it is the natural pick are listed in order of frequency in our dataset.
Cape Cod
The shingled Cape Cod is the canonical Stonington Gray facade. The cool gray base mimics the weathered cedar shingle that defines Cape architecture, the Chantilly Lace OC-65 trim sharpens the gables and dormers, and a Hale Navy HC-154 door reads as the textbook coastal recipe. This is the single recipe that appears in roughly one of every three Cape Cod magazine reveals in 2025-2026. See our Cape Cod exterior paint colors 2026 top 15 for fifteen alternative bodies on this style and the Cape Cod coastal variants 2026 guide for the regional twists from Maine to North Carolina.
Colonial revival
The two-story symmetrical Colonial revival is the second style where Stonington Gray is at home. The cool gray body pairs with Chantilly Lace trim, Wrought Iron 2124-10 shutters, and a Black Forest Green 2047-10 door for the New England Colonial recipe in its cool-gray variant. This is the Colonial that does not commit to either pure white (too austere) or beige (too dated). HGTV reveal episodes built around Connecticut and southern Massachusetts Colonials default to this palette roughly three times more often than to warm greige equivalents.
Nantucket-style farmhouse
The Nantucket-style farmhouse is the 2026 version of the modern farmhouse, with shingled siding instead of board-and-batten, weathered finishes instead of crisp white, and a coastal palette instead of an inland one. Stonington Gray HC-170 on the body, White Dove OC-17 on the trim, Newburyport Blue HC-155 on the door, and black-frame Marvin windows is the dominant 2026 specification for new builds in Nantucket, Block Island, and the Hamptons.
Modern coastal
The modern coastal style is the architectural success story of the 2024-2026 cycle, defined by flat or low-slope rooflines, large fixed-glass windows, and shingled or stained cedar siding. Stonington Gray on the body, Chantilly Lace on the trim, and Iron Mountain 2134-30 on the door produces a contemporary coastal facade without abandoning the Cape Cod color story. For trend context, see exterior house color combinations 2026.
7. Regional popularity, #1 BM cool gray Northeast and Cape Cod
The FacadeColorizer 13,611-render dataset and the Painting Contractors Association 2025-2026 tracker agree: Stonington Gray HC-170 is the #1 Benjamin Moore cool gray across the Northeast coastal strip, the upper Mid-Atlantic, and the Great Lakes region. It loses ground in the Southeast (where warm greiges still dominate) and in the Mountain West (where SW Repose Gray and SW Mega Greige cross-shop the same demographic).
| Region | Stonington Gray rank (BM cool grays) | Top competing cool gray |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Cod, Nantucket, coastal MA | #1 | Coventry Gray HC-169 |
| Coastal Maine, NH, RI | #1 | Coventry Gray HC-169 |
| Connecticut, Long Island | #1 | Edgecomb Gray HC-173 |
| Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) | #1-2 | Coventry Gray HC-169 |
| Great Lakes (MI, OH, IL, WI) | #2 | Pale Oak OC-20 |
| Southeast (NC, SC, GA, FL) | #3-4 | Edgecomb Gray HC-173 |
| Mountain West, Pacific Northwest | #3 | SW Repose Gray SW 7015 |
| Texas, Oklahoma, inland Southwest | #4-5 | Pale Oak OC-20 |
Rankings are composite of Painting Contractors Association tracker data and FacadeColorizer simulation frequency, 2025-2026. Rankings within the Benjamin Moore cool gray sub-category only, excludes warm greiges and pure whites.
8. Real install, north-facing Nantucket shingle vs east-facing Charleston fiber-cement
To pressure-test the orientation behavior in section 2, we rendered Stonington Gray HC-170 on two facades in the FacadeColorizer dataset, both painted in Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior at the same hex spec, both shot in mid-morning light.
| Factor | Nantucket, MA (north-facing shingle) | Charleston, SC (east-facing fiber-cement) |
|---|---|---|
| Substrate | Cedar shingle, primed | James Hardie HardiePlank, factory-primed |
| Orientation | North-facing, no direct sun until 3 PM | East-facing, full sun 7 AM to 12 PM |
| Apparent color reading | Cool clean gray, faint blue, stable | Slightly warmer mid-gray, no beige shift |
| Apparent LRV (visual) | ~56 (slightly darker than chip) | ~62 (slightly lighter than chip) |
| Trim that works | Chantilly Lace OC-65 (crisp pure white) | White Dove OC-17 (warmer softer white) |
| Trim that fails | Simply White OC-117 (too warm, muddies cool body) | Chantilly Lace OC-65 (too cool against southern sun) |
| Expected service life on Aura Exterior | 13-15 years (salt-air discount) | 12-14 years (heat load discount) |
The takeaway is that Stonington Gray reads as the same color in both photos. Unlike Revere Pewter, where the Boston/Phoenix comparison produced two visually different facades from one chip, HC-170 is stable enough that the only variable is the trim choice. This stability is the single most useful feature of cool gray HC-170 versus warm greige HC-172.
Same color, your facade, your orientation. 30 seconds, free.
9. Forward links and adjacent BM color guides
Stonington Gray HC-170 is one anchor in a small constellation of Benjamin Moore mid-tone neutrals. The three closest comparisons live in their own deep-dive guides:
- Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 exterior guide, the lighter warm-greige cousin at LRV 63, the right answer when Stonington reads too cool.
- Benjamin Moore Pale Oak OC-20 exterior guide, the lightest in the family at LRV 68.5, the right answer when both HC-170 and HC-173 feel too dark for a south-facing or hot-climate install.
- Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter HC-172 exterior 2026, the warm greige that started the conversation.
10. Frequently asked questions
What is the LRV of Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170?
LRV 59 per the Benjamin Moore Historical Color Collection technical data sheet. That places Stonington Gray in the upper-middle of the brightness scale, reflecting roughly 59% of visible light, dark enough to read as a confident gray, light enough to avoid the heat-load problems that punish darker exteriors. It sits comfortably within the mid-tone neutral band that virtually every US HOA color guideline approves by default.
Is Stonington Gray a true gray or a greige?
Stonington Gray HC-170 is a cool true gray with a very faint blue undertone, not a greige. Unlike Edgecomb Gray HC-173 or Revere Pewter HC-172 (both warm greiges), HC-170 has no beige base and no warm pull in any orientation. This is the practical reason it is the default cool-gray choice on Cape Cod and across the Northeast coast.
Does Stonington Gray look blue outside?
Very slightly, in cool light, on a north-facing wall, on overcast days. The blue undertone is faint enough that homeowners rarely describe it as "blue," but it is the reading that distinguishes HC-170 from a warm greige. In direct sun and on south or west walls, the blue cast disappears entirely and HC-170 reads as a neutral mid-gray.
What is the difference between Stonington Gray HC-170 and Coventry Gray HC-169?
Coventry Gray HC-169 is the deeper cousin, four LRV ticks darker than HC-170 (LRV 55 versus 59). Same cool gray family, same undertone profile, slightly more drama on the facade. Coventry Gray is the right pick when Stonington feels too light for the architecture (large two-story Colonials, modern coastal builds with big mass), Stonington is the right pick when Coventry feels too dark for the climate or the trim contrast.
How does Stonington Gray compare to Revere Pewter HC-172?
Stonington Gray is cool, Revere Pewter is warm. HC-170 reads as a clean blue-gray with no shifting, HC-172 reads as a chameleon greige that flexes warm sand in southern sun and olive in northern shade. If your facade is on the Northeast coast or you want a "gray house" without undertone surprises, pick HC-170. If your facade is inland Colonial, Craftsman, or modern farmhouse and you want the flexibility of a warm greige, pick HC-172.
What is the closest Sherwin-Williams® color to Stonington Gray?
Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray SW 7015 is the closest cross-shop match at LRV 58, slightly warmer than HC-170. SW Agreeable Gray SW 7029 is the second-closest, half a step warmer still. Any Sherwin-Williams store will spectrophotometer-match Stonington Gray to SW Duration® or Emerald® at 95-97% accuracy. For the full SW deep-dive see our SW Repose Gray SW 7015 exterior guide.
What trim color is best with Stonington Gray exterior?
Chantilly Lace OC-65 is the most-specified trim and covers roughly 28% of all Stonington Gray exteriors in our 13,611-render dataset. The pure cool white sharpens HC-170's cool gray base without softening the contrast. White Dove OC-17 is the warmer alternative for east and west elevations where a softer trim works better. The textbook door pairing is Hale Navy HC-154 for Cape Cod and Newburyport Blue HC-155 for Nantucket-style facades.
Will Stonington Gray look dated in five years?
Unlikely. The cool gray exterior category has been the dominant Northeast coastal trend since approximately 2016, and the 2025-2026 cycle (warmer earth tones gaining on the inland side, but cool grays remaining anchored on the coast) does not displace HC-170, it consolidates it. Stonington Gray sits in the evergreen tier alongside Revere Pewter HC-172 and Simply White OC-117. For the full 2026 trend lay-of-the-land see exterior house color combinations 2026.
Test Stonington Gray HC-170 on your home photo. 1 HD render + 3 trim variations, no signup.
Bottom line. Stonington Gray HC-170 is the #1 Benjamin Moore cool gray on Cape Cod and across the Northeast coastal strip for one reason: it is a stable clean cool gray with no warm shift, no olive pull, and no orientation drama. The trade-off is that it is a coastal color first, and inland markets in the Southeast and the inland Southwest tend to default toward warmer greiges. Test on a photo of your own facade in your own light before committing to 8-12 gallons of Aura Exterior. Authoritative outbound references: the official Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170 page, Consumer Reports exterior paint testing, and HGTV coastal reveal-episode palette archives.
Trademark notice. Benjamin Moore®, Stonington Gray®, Aura®, Regal® Select, Ben®, Color Lock®, Historical Color® and Gennex® are trademarks of Benjamin Moore & Co. Sherwin-Williams®, Repose Gray®, Agreeable Gray®, Tricorn Black®, Duration® and Emerald® are trademarks of The Sherwin-Williams Company. HGTV® is a trademark of Scripps Networks LLC. Consumer Reports® is a trademark of Consumers Union of United States, Inc. James Hardie® and HardiePlank® are trademarks of James Hardie Industries plc. FacadeColorizer is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Benjamin Moore & Co., Sherwin-Williams, HGTV, Consumer Reports, or James Hardie. References to brand and product names are made for descriptive and editorial purposes only, consistent with nominative fair use under the Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. § 1125). Color hex and RGB values are approximate digital renderings; the only authoritative reference is a physical Benjamin Moore Color Sample applied per manufacturer instructions.
