Gray carpet is one of the most forgiving floors you can have. It works with almost any wall color, until it doesn’t.
The wrong paint color doesn’t just look off. It makes the whole room feel unsettled in a way that’s hard to pinpoint.
Choosing paint colors that go with gray carpet comes down to one thing: undertone. Warm gray carpet and cool gray carpet follow completely different rules, and most paint mistakes happen when that distinction gets ignored.
This guide covers every direction worth considering, from crisp whites and navy blues to sage greens, greiges, blush, charcoal, and the colors to avoid entirely. You will also find guidance on paint finish, room size, and how to coordinate wall color with furniture in a carpeted room.
What Paint Colors Go With Gray Carpet?
The 8 main paint color families that work with gray carpet are crisp white, off-white, navy blue, dusty blue, sage green, warm beige/greige, blush, and charcoal.
Which ones actually work depends entirely on your carpet’s undertone. Cool gray carpet points you toward whites, blues, and muted greens. Warm gray carpet opens the door to creams, beiges, blush, and earthy tones.
Gray carpet holds a strong position in the residential flooring market. In 2023, carpet reclaimed its spot as the top U.S. flooring category at 31.0% market share, with $7.845 billion in mill sell prices (Floor Focus / Market Insights, 2024). Gray and neutral tones remain among the most installed residential carpet colors year over year.
A Fixr.com survey of 71 interior design experts found that 81% of professionals recommend warm neutrals for interiors, reinforcing why warm-leaning wall colors dominate recommendations for gray carpet rooms (Fixr Paint & Color Trends Report, 2024).
| Wall Color Direction | Best Gray Carpet Match | Ideal Room Types |
|---|---|---|
| Crisp White or Off-White | Cool or warm gray carpet | Any room |
| Navy or Dusty Blue | Cool gray carpet | Bedroom, home office, or study |
| Sage or Muted Green | Cool gray carpet | Living room, dining room, or family room |
| Greige or Warm Beige | Warm gray carpet | Living room, bedroom, or open-concept space |
| Blush or Earthy Clay | Warm gray carpet | Bedroom, nursery, or accent wall |
| Charcoal or Near-Black | Cool or warm gray carpet | Home office, dining room, or powder room |
The key decision rule: match undertone to undertone for a tonal, cohesive look, or use deliberate contrast between warm and cool to create visual interest. What never works is an accidental undertone clash, where a warm paint meets a cool gray carpet without intention.
Understanding how color works in interior design is the foundation for every paint decision in a carpeted room.
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How Does Gray Carpet Undertone Affect Paint Color Choice?
Gray carpet undertone is the single variable that controls every paint decision in the room. Get it right and the space feels cohesive. Get it wrong and the room reads as unsettled without a clear reason why.
As Benjamin Moore’s color team notes, identifying warm and cool undertones in neutrals is “notoriously challenging” because the difference only becomes visible through direct comparison, not isolation. The same applies to carpet.
How to Identify Your Gray Carpet’s Undertone
The white paper test: Hold a sheet of plain white printer paper flat against your carpet in natural midday light.
- If the carpet looks slightly purple, blue, or green next to the paper, it has a cool undertone
- If the carpet reads as beige, tan, or brown next to the paper, it has a warm undertone
- If neither shift is obvious, the carpet sits close to true neutral and accepts both paint directions
Check it again at different times of day. Warm undertones glow more in afternoon light. Cool undertones become more apparent in flat, midday or northern light.
Cool Gray Carpet vs. Warm Gray Carpet Paint Rules
Cool gray carpet carries blue, green, or purple undertones. Studio McGee’s design team describes cool tones as “calming and clean” but warns that too many cool tones in one space can make a design “feel cold and unwelcome.” The fix is pairing cool gray carpet with either cool whites and blues (which lean into the palette) or deliberately warm wall paint (which creates balance).
Warm gray carpet carries beige, taupe, or brown undertones. It accepts creams, greiges, blush, and earthy tones on the walls. Pairing it with a stark cool white creates visible undertone conflict. The two will fight each other visually, and the room will look off even if you can’t name the reason.
| Gray Carpet Type | Typical Undertone | Best Wall Colors | Wall Colors to Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cool Gray Carpet | Blue, green, or purple undertones | Cool white, neutral white, navy, sage green, dusty blue, and soft greige | Warm cream, golden beige, and strongly yellow-toned neutrals |
| Warm Gray Carpet | Beige, taupe, or brown undertones | Off-white, warm greige, blush, clay, terracotta, and soft warm neutrals | Stark cool white, blue-gray, and icy gray tones |
Understanding this maps directly to the broader principles of color theory in interior design, specifically how undertone harmony controls whether a room feels pulled together or not.
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What White and Off-White Paint Colors Work With Gray Carpet?
White is the most installed wall color category in U.S. homes. A Fixr.com survey found 48% of interior design experts name warm white as the most popular interior paint color for 2024. That popularity makes sense alongside gray carpet, where white walls keep the palette clean and maximize the carpet as the grounding neutral.
Not all whites behave the same way. Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace carries an LRV of 92 and reads as a crisp, cool white. Benjamin Moore White Dove has warmer undertones and an LRV closer to 85. Those differences are significant against gray carpet.
Cool Whites for Cool Gray Carpet
Best picks: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, Sherwin-Williams Extra White.
These pair well with blue- or green-undertoned gray carpet because both lean cool. The wall and floor share the same temperature, which creates a clean, cohesive look. Works best in south-facing rooms where strong natural light prevents the palette from feeling sterile.
For LRV guidance: in small rooms with gray carpet, target wall paint with an LRV of 75 or above to keep the space feeling open. In large rooms, you have room to drop to LRV 60-70 without the room feeling heavy.
Off-Whites and Creams for Warm Gray Carpet
Best picks: Benjamin Moore White Dove, Sherwin-Williams Alabaster.
- White Dove (LRV ~85) reads as a soft, warm white with a slight yellow undertone
- Alabaster (LRV ~82) leans slightly creamy, warm enough to complement beige-gray carpet
- Both avoid the stark contrast that makes warm gray carpet look dingy against a cool white wall
Ceiling application tip: painting ceilings 5-10 LRV points above the wall color adds perceived height. In a room with warm gray carpet and Alabaster walls, a near-pure white ceiling makes the room read taller without breaking the warm palette.
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What Neutral and Greige Paint Colors Complement Gray Carpet?
Greige, a blend of gray and beige, is the top-performing neutral for rooms with warm gray carpet. House Digest design experts describe greige as “remarkably versatile,” capable of creating “a quieter space or a rich and cozy space” depending on what it’s paired with (House Digest, 2024).
Key greige picks for warm gray carpet:
- Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (LRV 58): warm beige with a hint of gray, reads as a soft, grounded neutral
- Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter (LRV 45): darker greige, works best in south or west-facing rooms with strong light
- Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray (LRV 60): sits right at the warm/cool boundary, one of the most universally installed greige shades
The risk with greige and warm gray carpet: if both lean heavily toward brown, the room loses contrast and reads as flat. The fix is pairing greige walls with lighter furniture and using white trim to separate the surfaces.
Greige performs worst in north-facing rooms, where the cooler flat light pulls the warmth out of both the walls and carpet. In those rooms, shift to a warmer, higher-LRV cream instead.
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What Blue Paint Colors Go With Gray Carpet?
Blue is one of the strongest pairings for cool gray carpet. According to 2024 color trend data, blues are predicted to have “a major moment” in interior design, with lighter shades of dusty blue and aqua among the most popular (Urban57, 2024). Cool gray carpet shares the same temperature as blue paint, which is why the pairing works without visual tension.
Navy Blue With Gray Carpet
Navy creates high contrast against both light and medium gray carpet. Best picks: Sherwin-Williams Naval (LRV 4) and Benjamin Moore Hale Navy (LRV 7).
At this LRV range, navy walls absorb a lot of light. This works in rooms with strong natural light or good artificial lighting. It fails in north-facing rooms or windowless spaces where the room becomes too dark.
Use a matte finish for navy to reduce sheen and prevent the wall from looking painted-on. Pair with white trim to create a clean boundary between the navy wall and the gray carpet below.
Dusty and Muted Blue With Gray Carpet
Benjamin Moore Smoke (LRV 56) sits in the middle of the LRV scale and reads as a soft, powdery blue. It pairs naturally with cool gray carpet because both carry similar blue-gray undertones, creating a layered tonal palette rather than sharp contrast.
- Works well in bedrooms and offices where a calm color palette supports the function
- Eggshell finish recommended for a slight sheen that reflects enough light to keep the room feeling open
- Works in both north and south-facing rooms due to the mid-range LRV
Exploring color in interior design more broadly can help you understand why blue and cool gray share such natural alignment at the undertone level.
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What Green Paint Colors Work With Gray Carpet?
Muted green is one of the fastest-growing interior paint directions. Fixr.com’s 2024 survey found 32% of design experts selected deep olive green as the most popular shade for 2024, and sage green continues to appear across bedroom and living room color scheme recommendations (Fixr, 2024).
The rule with green and gray carpet: saturation level determines whether it works. Muted, low-saturation greens share enough gray in their base to connect naturally with gray carpet. Bright, saturated greens clash with the cool neutrality of the carpet and read as a color mistake rather than a color choice.
Sage Green With Cool Gray Carpet
Sherwin-Williams Clary Sage and Benjamin Moore Aganthus Green both carry enough gray in their base to work naturally against cool gray carpet. The green reads as a soft, muted presence on the walls rather than a bold statement.
Natural light requirement: sage green needs south or east-facing light to read accurately. In north-facing rooms, sage can pull toward a flat, dull olive that loses its warmth.
Olive and Earthy Green With Warm Gray Carpet
Olive and earthy greens carry yellow-brown undertones that align with warm gray carpet’s beige base. The connection is more subtle than sage, but the room reads as grounded and organic rather than cool and minimal.
- Best in living rooms and dining rooms where the earthy palette reinforces a warm, social atmosphere
- Avoid in small rooms where the low LRV of most olive shades can make the space feel heavy
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What Warm and Earthy Paint Colors Pair With Gray Carpet?
Warm and earthy paint tones are the dominant interior trend heading into 2025. Fixr.com’s 2025 color trends report found 34% of design professionals say deep jewel tones and rustic browns, grays, and taupes are homeowners’ top color choices (Fixr Interior Design & Color Trends, 2025).
Blush, terracotta, and warm clay tones work only against warm gray carpet. The warm undertone in the carpet aligns with the warm base of these paints. Against cool gray carpet, the same colors look mismatched and create the kind of undertone conflict that leaves a room feeling unsettled.
Blush Pink With Warm Gray Carpet
Best picks: Benjamin Moore Pale Blush, Sherwin-Williams Diminutive.
These are low-saturation blush shades with enough gray mixed in to connect with warm gray carpet. They work because they don’t read as pink walls next to gray carpet. They read as a warm, neutral pink-beige that feels intentional.
- Best in bedrooms where the soft palette supports rest and calm
- Pair with warm wood furniture and white trim to keep the scheme from going too soft
Terracotta and Clay as Accent Walls
Full-room terracotta with gray carpet overwhelms most spaces. Used as an accent wall, terracotta and clay tones create a focal point that connects to the earthy warm undertones of the carpet without dominating the room’s color palette.
This is one application where understanding a what an accent wall actually does in a room changes the result. An accent wall of warm terracotta behind a bed or sofa in a room with warm gray carpet reads as a deliberate design choice. The same color on all four walls competes too heavily with the neutral floor.
The earthy color palette for interior design gives additional context on how warm tones like blush, terracotta, and clay work together in a cohesive room scheme.
What Dark Paint Colors Go With Gray Carpet?
Dark walls with gray carpet work. The idea that deep tones make rooms feel smaller is not a rule. It depends on ceiling height, light sources, and how furniture is scaled against the walls.
Steelcase environmental research notes that spaces balancing visual stimulation and refuge improve perceived control and reduce stress, which aligns with how darker, low-gloss wall envelopes function in focused or rest-oriented rooms (Steelcase).
Charcoal and Near-Black With Gray Carpet
Best picks: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron (LRV 6) and Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore (LRV 6).
Both sit at the deep end of the LRV scale. Against medium or light gray carpet, they create strong tonal contrast. The carpet reads as the lighter ground, while the walls close in around it to create a focused, contained feeling.
- Requires ceiling height of at least 8.5 feet for the room to avoid feeling compressed
- Needs strong artificial light layered at 3 points: ambient, task, and accent
- White trim separates the dark wall from the gray carpet and stops the palette feeling heavy
Deep Navy and Forest Green as Dark Options
Dark navy and forest green work similarly to charcoal against gray carpet, with slightly more color presence.
Navy (Sherwin-Williams Naval, LRV 4): pairs with cool gray carpet because both share blue undertones. The room reads tonal rather than contrasted.
Forest green (Benjamin Moore Salamander, LRV 4): pairs best with warm gray carpet, where the green’s earthy undertones connect to the carpet’s beige base.
Both work well in home offices and dining rooms. Neither works in low-ceiling rooms with limited windows, where the combination of dark walls and gray carpet removes all perceived light from the space.
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What Paint Colors to Avoid With Gray Carpet?
Some color combinations fail not because the colors are inherently bad, but because of undertone conflict with gray carpet specifically. Getting this wrong is the most common mistake in carpeted room color schemes.
| Wall Paint Color | Gray Carpet It Clashes With | Why It Doesn’t Work |
|---|---|---|
| Bright Yellow or Orange | Cool gray carpet | High saturation overwhelms the carpet’s neutral, cool undertones and creates visual tension. |
| Warm Cream | Cool gray carpet | Warm yellow undertones can make cool gray carpet appear dull or slightly dirty. |
| Builder-Grade Beige | Warm gray carpet | Similar depth and muted tones create little contrast, making the room feel flat and uninspired. |
| Purple-Toned Paint | Warm gray carpet | Emphasizes cool undertones, making warm gray carpet look mismatched. |
| Saturated Red | Any gray carpet | Dominates the space and competes with gray instead of complementing its neutral character. |
The most tricky pairing in practice is warm cream with cool gray carpet.
It looks fine on a paint chip. Once on the walls, the cream pulls yellow while the carpet pulls blue, and the room develops a subtle clash that’s hard to identify but immediately visible. Sherwin-Williams color experts describe this as “undertone conflict,” where two similar neutral tones with opposing undertones fight each other under changing light conditions (Sherwin-Williams).
Lime green is the other clear avoid. A Fixr.com survey of 67 interior design experts found 73% say lime green is the color most off-putting to potential homebuyers, the highest rejection rate of any color in the 2025 report (Fixr Interior Design & Color Trends, 2025).
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How Does Room Size and Light Affect Paint Color Choice With Gray Carpet?
The same wall color reads completely differently in a north-facing 10×12 bedroom and a south-facing open-plan living room. Gray carpet adds another variable because its pile depth and fiber type affect how much light it reflects back into the space.
Benjamin Moore’s color direction guidance confirms that northern exposure tends to produce muted, cool-leaning light that emphasizes cool undertones in both walls and flooring. The fix in a north-facing room with gray carpet is to shift paint toward warmer tones than you would normally choose (Benjamin Moore).
North-Facing Rooms With Gray Carpet
North-facing rooms receive no direct sunlight. The light is consistent but cool and flat throughout the day.
Avoid: cool whites, blue-gray paint, and sage green. All of these read colder and flatter without warm natural light to activate them.
Use instead: warm off-whites (Sherwin-Williams Alabaster), warm greiges, or creamy tones with LRV above 70 that bounce the limited light around the room.
South-Facing Rooms With Gray Carpet
South-facing rooms have strong, warm natural light throughout the day. Neptune and Little Greene both note that south-facing light causes neutrals to appear more yellow, which means cool paint corrections are often needed here.
Cool whites and blues read accurately in south-facing rooms with gray carpet. Colors that seem slightly cold in a showroom sample will normalize under strong south light.
- Dark colors (navy, charcoal) work in south-facing rooms because the light load prevents them from looking oppressive
- High-LRV whites may feel glaring in south-facing rooms, shift to a mid-LRV off-white instead
Small Rooms With Gray Carpet
High-LRV paint is the most direct tool for making a small carpeted room feel larger. Colors that reflect more light visually reduce shadows and make walls appear farther apart.
LRV 75+: use in small rooms with gray carpet to maximize perceived space.
LRV below 50: only use in small rooms that have strong natural or artificial light, otherwise the combination of gray carpet and a deep wall color removes most of the light from the room.
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What Paint Finish Works Best With Gray Carpet?
Paint finish changes how a color reads against gray carpet. A navy wall in matte sits quietly. The same navy in satin bounces light off the surface and reads as a slightly different, more active color in the room.
Sherwin-Williams finish guidance confirms that eggshell and satin are the two most recommended finishes for living spaces because both balance durability and a degree of light reflection (Sherwin-Williams).
Matte and Flat Finishes
Matte absorbs light. In a room with gray carpet, matte walls create a soft, even palette where neither surface dominates.
Best for: adult bedrooms, low-traffic rooms, dark paint colors where sheen would amplify imperfections. Bob Vila’s finish analysis notes that matte and flat finishes conceal brushstrokes and minor wall imperfections better than any higher-sheen alternative (Bob Vila).
Avoid matte in hallways or rooms with gray carpet where wall marks and scuffs are frequent. The finish does not clean well.
Eggshell for Living Rooms and Bedrooms
Eggshell is the most widely recommended finish for carpeted living rooms and bedrooms. It has a slight sheen that reflects enough light to keep the room feeling open without creating glare or distorting the wall color.
- LRV of eggshell finish reads about 2-3 points higher than the same color in matte due to light reflection
- Wipes clean more easily than matte, important in lived-in rooms with gray carpet
- Works with both light and dark paint colors against gray carpet
Satin for High-Traffic Areas
Satin delivers noticeably higher durability. Bob Vila confirms that satin paint is formulated with more binders and less pigment, making it more resistant to scuffs, stains, and daily abrasion than eggshell (Bob Vila).
Use satin in hallways, children’s bedrooms, and family rooms with gray carpet. The finish reflects slightly more light than eggshell, which can make paint colors appear about half a shade lighter. Account for this when testing samples.
Semi-gloss and high-gloss: keep these for trim and doors only. On walls next to gray carpet, the high sheen creates glare and makes the wall surface the dominant visual element in the room, pulling focus away from any intentional color scheme.
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How Do Furniture and Accent Colors Work Between Gray Carpet and Wall Paint?
Gray carpet functions as the 60% dominant neutral in the 60-30-10 color rule, the base tone that the entire room scheme is built on. Wall paint and furniture then occupy the 30% and 10% layers.
Get the 60% right and the other decisions become easier. Ignore it and you will end up with a room where the carpet, walls, and furniture all compete for the same visual space.
Light Gray Carpet: Scheme Options
High-contrast scheme: light gray carpet (60%) + white or off-white walls (30%) + dark wood or charcoal furniture (10%).
This is the most commonly installed scheme in new residential builds. The contrast between the light carpet and dark furniture creates visual structure without requiring bold paint choices. The walls stay neutral and the furniture carries the interest.
Tonal scheme: light gray carpet + gray-blue or dusty blue walls + light linen furniture. All three surfaces share the same cool undertone family, creating a layered, cohesive look where the room reads as one coordinated palette rather than separate elements.
Dark Gray Carpet: Scheme Options
Dark gray carpet (charcoal or deep gray) limits paint choices because the room already carries significant visual weight at floor level.
- Pair with high-LRV white or cream walls to balance the dark floor load
- Use light or medium-toned furniture to prevent the room from reading as entirely dark
- Avoid dark walls with dark gray carpet unless the ceiling is high and light sources are strong
Bridging Carpet and Paint With Accents
Accent colors in throw pillows, curtains, and artwork serve as the visual bridge between gray carpet and wall paint. They work by picking up undertones from both surfaces and carrying them into a third element that unifies the scheme.
A room with cool gray carpet and navy walls benefits from white and brass accents. The white echoes the carpet’s cool undertone. The brass introduces warmth that stops the navy-gray combination from reading as cold.
Understanding contrast in interior design and how balance in interior design apply to color distribution helps clarify why some accent choices unify a room while others create visual tension.
The rhythm in interior design created by repeating a carpet undertone through accent pieces is what separates a finished room from a room that has all the right parts but still feels incomplete. A gray carpet room with no undertone repetition in the accents will always look slightly unresolved, no matter how good the wall color is.
FAQ on Paint Colors That Go With Gray Carpet
What is the best wall color for gray carpet?
White, off-white, navy blue, sage green, and greige are the strongest options. The best choice depends on your carpet’s undertone. Cool gray carpet pairs with cool whites and blues. Warm gray carpet works better with creams, greiges, and blush tones.
Does gray carpet go with gray walls?
Yes, but only when the undertones align. A cool blue-gray wall with cool gray carpet creates a tonal, layered palette. Mismatched gray undertones, one warm and one cool, will make the room feel visually off without a clear reason why.
What colors should you avoid with gray carpet?
Avoid bright yellows, saturated oranges, and warm cream paint against cool gray carpet. Builder-grade beige against warm gray carpet reads flat. Purple-toned paint amplifies cool undertones unintentionally. Lime green clashes with gray carpet regardless of undertone.
Does navy blue go with gray carpet?
Navy blue pairs well with cool gray carpet because both share blue undertones. Sherwin-Williams Naval and Benjamin Moore Hale Navy are strong picks. Use a matte or eggshell finish, and pair with white trim to define the boundary between wall and floor.
What paint finish is best for rooms with gray carpet?
Eggshell is the most practical finish for carpeted living rooms and bedrooms. It reflects enough light to keep the room feeling open while staying cleanable. Use matte for low-traffic bedrooms and satin for hallways or high-traffic areas with gray carpet.
Does greige work with gray carpet?
Greige works specifically with warm gray carpet. Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige and Agreeable Gray are reliable picks. Avoid greige against cool gray carpet, where the beige undertones in the paint will clash with the blue or green undertones in the carpet.
How do I know if my gray carpet is warm or cool?
Hold a sheet of plain white printer paper flat against the carpet in natural midday light. If the carpet shifts toward beige or brown next to the paper, it is warm. If it reads blue, green, or purple by comparison, it has a cool undertone.
What color walls make a room with gray carpet look bigger?
High-LRV whites and off-whites are the most direct tool for making a small carpeted room feel larger. Target an LRV of 75 or above. Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (LRV 92) and Sherwin-Williams Extra White reflect strong light and visually expand wall-to-wall space.
Can you use dark paint with gray carpet?
Yes. Charcoal, deep navy, and forest green all work against gray carpet when the room has sufficient ceiling height and layered lighting. Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron and Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore pair well with medium or light gray carpet for a high-contrast interior color scheme.
Does sage green go with gray carpet?
Muted sage green pairs naturally with cool gray carpet. Sherwin-Williams Clary Sage and Benjamin Moore Aganthus Green both carry enough gray in their base to connect with the carpet without visual tension. Sage needs south or east-facing natural light to read accurately on the walls.
Conclusion
This conclusion is for an article presenting the full range of interior wall color options that work with gray carpet, from crisp whites and greige to navy, sage green, blush, and charcoal.
Every decision in this guide traces back to one starting point: carpet undertone.
Nail that first and the rest of the color coordination falls into place. Get it wrong and no amount of careful furniture selection or accent color work will fix the room.
Room orientation, LRV, and paint finish all shape the final result. So does how you distribute color across walls, flooring, and furniture using the 60-30-10 rule.
Gray carpet is a genuinely versatile neutral base. It accepts bold color schemes and quiet tonal ones equally well, as long as the wall paint respects its undertone.
- What Color Walls Go with Gray Furniture - August 12, 2026
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