Three shades of grey

Not all shades of gray are neutral! A „neutral“ gray is not simply a black and white mixture, but an equal mixture of all spectral colors (r-o-y-g-b-i-v). A spectrophotometric measure of such a gray tone shows that it contains approximately equal amounts of these spectral colors. Non-neutral shades of gray, however, have unequal amounts of spectral colors, causing a cold or warm color shift in different lighting conditions. Graphiclite® Standard Gray Neutral is in neutral environmental conditions specified in the color standards.

Neutral grey paint N5 N7 N8

Why is neutral gray specified and important for color viewing?

• It eliminates the „simultaneous color contrast“. For example, a red pattern on a blue background has an orange tinge. For the eye to see the color accurately, the environment must be chromatically neutral.
• It minimizes the „color contamination“ of the viewing areas caused by reflections from chromatic surfaces. When the D50 or D65 standard illumination is refelected from colored walls, etc., the color quality changes to no longer „standard“. Applying neutral gray tone to chromatic surfaces eliminates such color contamination by providing spectrally neutral surfaces around the viewing area.