Pewter is an interesting metal with lots of different looks depending on the level of tarnish, wear and tear, etc. Pewter paint colors are complicated gray mixes with shifting undertones and bags of appeal!
Here are 6 of the most popular and most versatile pewter paint colors, covering a plethora of different pewter looks!
What Color is Pewter?
There seems to be a huge range in what could be considered a “pewter color.” Generally there are elements of gray and cool undertones, but the rest varies wildly.
When you actually think about it, it does make sense. In the most literal sense, pewter can appear anywhere from light silver, to a deep tarnished charcoal color.
If we are going to generalize, pewter is a mid-toned gray color with elements of both cool and warm tones. Like real life pewter, these paint colors have a tendency to shape shift!
Light Reflectance Value of These Pewter Paint Colors
Just so you know what we are talking about when I mention the LRV of each color, it is the measure of lightness/darkness.
The LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.
In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.
This is the LRV of each of the paint colors in this post, but I will also point them out as we go!
Sherwin Williams Pewter Tankard
Sherwin Williams Pewter Tankard is self-described as an “earthy greige” paint color. You could also call it a stone color.
Like many greige paint colors, Pewter Tankard ranges in appearance from quite beige to almost blue-gray. It can also have slightly violet or green undertones.
In this picture you can see quite a range of undertones in various areas of the kitchen:
I do find that this color normally looks like a stone or true greige color, and I feel like the “earthy” undertone of the color is much less prevalent.
The LRV of Pewter Tankard is 33, so it is darker than most whole-home paint colors, which tend to have LRVs in the 45 – 65 range.
Benjamin Moore Dark Pewter
Benjamin Moore describes Dark Pewter as “a dark blue-gray with a mysterious allure.” They don’t mention the green undertone, but it is definitely there! (And strong.)
(Don’t confuse this Dark Pewter with the Behr color of the same name! They are quite similar, but are not the same color.)
Dark Pewter is the most green color on this list, because I’m saving the rest for another post. I just feel like a deep green pewter is different than a true pewter, but it still makes sense to include one.
I only had exterior photos for Dark Pewter, so that is an example of what you can expect inside, using Behr Cracked Pepper where it looks more like Dark Pewter.
The LRV of Dark Pewter is 10.8 (rounded to 11), which makes it the darkest color on this list.
Sherwin Williams Pewter Cast
Sherwin Williams Pewter Cast is another stone color, but this time in a true gray.
I feel like Pewter Cast is the color on this list that reads “pewter” in the truest sense. It is a metallic inspired gray with just a hint of warmth, the same way that pewter tarnish is just a little warm.
Pewter Cast has undertones ranging from silver to violet, and at its most beige it can look like a mushroom color.
The LRV of Pewter Cast is 31.
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
Now for the most famous color on this list: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter!
Revere Pewter is the OG pewter paint color. The greige that started it all! Revere Pewter is a neutral chameleon with almost any undertone you can think of, but it most often looks like this:
It’s not a true metallic gray version of pewter, but a warmer, left-in-the-cabinet pewter tone.
I guess the real pewter quality of this color, comes from that ability to do a little bit of everything.
With an LRV of 55.05, Revere Pewter is one of the lightest colors on this list.
Sherwin Williams Roycroft Pewter
Roycroft Pewter by Sherwin Williams is a shifting charcoal color that takes a cooler toned approach to the idea of Pewter.
Roycroft Pewter has undertones ranging from green to denim blue, but it can also look like a true gray.
This color is also my Sherwin Williams dupe for Farrow & Ball Downpipe!
The LRV of Roycroft Pewter is 13.
Behr Vintage Pewter
Vintage Pewter by Behr is another classic pewter shade in the warmer sense of the color.
This silvery greige is a use-anywhere color that will also go with anything! You should know that this one can have a slightly pink undertone, but it is very subtle. (Similar to Edgecomb Gray or Taupe of the Morning.)
Vintage Pewter should be the lightest color on this list, with an LRV of 56, but not all brands measure LRV exactly the same. It is a tie with Revere Pewter (55), but I actually think Revere Pewter may be a hair lighter.
Here is another look at each of these pewter paint colors:
Thank you so much for reading until the end! That really helps my blog. Want to explore more color? I’ve got loads!
