Farrow & Ball · No. 40 · Neutrals and stones
Farrow & Ball
Mouse's Back
Sherwin-Williams
Curio Gray
Lower score means closer. Under 2 is hard to tell apart on the wall; over 5 is a different colour that sits in the same family.
British paint maker, widely stocked across the UK.
UK stockists
Closest · 233
Serpentine
Similarscore 4.94
A sensible alternative, but clearly its own colour beside the original.
Option 2 · 117
Lead Colour
Nearest availablescore 5.74
Option 3 · 40
Silt
Nearest availablescore 6.57
Sold through independent stockists in the UK and mixed to order.
UK stockists
Closest · 1007
Beigewood
Very closescore 1.40
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · CC-516
Flagstone
Very closescore 1.40
Option 3 · HC-86
Kingsport Gray
Very closescore 1.48
North American colour card.
Closest · SW 0024
Curio Gray
Near identicalscore 0.50
Most people could not tell these apart on the wall.
Option 2 · SW 2855
Sycamore Tan
Very closescore 1.70
Option 3 · SW 7508
Tavern Taupe
Very closescore 1.70
North American colour card. The Valspar range sold in UK stores is different.
Closest · 3008-9B
Riverbed's Edge
Very closescore 1.35
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · 3008-9C
Rugged
Very closescore 1.97
Option 3 · 6007-2B
Wild Hawk
Closescore 2.19
North American colour card.
Closest · 15-30
Roasted Chestnut
Closescore 2.03
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · 14-13
Oyster Shell
Closescore 2.70
Option 3 · 15-19
Rapid Rock
Closescore 3.38
North American colour card.
Closest · PPU5-06
Ethiopia
Very closescore 1.40
A small difference you may see with the two side by side.
Option 2 · HDC-AC-14
Bristol Beige
Closescore 2.19
Option 3 · N240-5
Rodeo Tan
Closescore 2.50
North American colour card.
Closest · DEC750
Bison Beige
Closescore 2.82
Same family and depth. Expect a slight shift in warmth or strength.
Option 2 · DE6208
Tuscan Mosaic
Similarscore 3.53
Option 3 · DE6124
Whole Wheat
Similarscore 3.89
From the trade
Paint Mouse's Back and your chosen match on two boards in the same finish. A flat and an eggshell in one colour never look identical.
Check them on the darkest wall in the morning and again under your own lamps at night. That is where small differences show.
Give the merchant the brand, colour name and code shown here. It avoids the guesswork of a scanned match.
In your light
Pick the way your window faces and the time of day. The same paint can look like three different colours.
North light is steady but cool and grey. It pulls blues and greys colder and makes greens look heavier. Warm based colours hold up best.
An approximation of how light colour and strength shift a paint. Use it to narrow a shortlist, then paint a sample board and look at it at these same times.
Building a scheme
Worked out from undertone and depth, the way a decorator would put a scheme together. Paint samples side by side before you commit.
A pale colour from the same undertone as Mouse's Back, so the ceiling does not look stark white against it.
One step lighter or darker on skirtings, doors and window boards. A tonal scheme is the easiest way to make a room feel finished.
A dark colour that sits under it. Use on a fireplace wall, an inside door, a kitchen island or a hall below the dado.
From the other side of the colour wheel, at a similar depth, for a door, a bookcase or a cushion. Use in small amounts.
Colour values are on screen approximations taken from published community colour libraries (Farrow & Ball; Farrow & Ball (cross check); Little Greene; Benjamin Moore; Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, PPG, Behr, Dunn-Edwards), compiled 2026-10-09. Scores use CIEDE2000. Screens, light and sheen all change how paint looks, so always check a physical sample. Aethos is not connected to any of the paint makers named here and all colour names belong to their owners.