Home › Sherwin-Williams › Gray › North Star
North Star SW 6246
On-screen approximation from the published RGB value. Order a physical sample before you decide.
Undertone: Subtle blue undertone
In CIELAB, North Star sits at L* 83.1, a* -1.7, b* -1.7. Its hue angle is 226° and its chroma is 2.4, so it leans blue only slightly — the undertone mostly shows next to whiter or grayer colors. It classifies as cool. Among Sherwin-Williams colors with a similar LRV (±5), it is warmer (more yellow) than 13%.
LRV 62.3: light
Light Reflectance Value runs from 0 (absolute black) to 100 (perfect white). At 62.3, North Star is lighter than 75% of Sherwin-Williams colors. The most forgiving range for whole-house walls. Keeps rooms bright without glare.
Closest Benjamin Moore match to North Star
Ranked by CIEDE2000 color difference (ΔE) computed from published RGB values. Below 2 is hard to tell apart on the wall; above 4 is a different color.
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Frost | CSP-590 | 0.91 | Practically identical | |
| Whitestone | 2134-60 | 1.15 | Very close | |
| Sweet Innocence | 2125-50 | 1.27 | Very close |
Closest Behr match to North Star
Ranked by CIEDE2000 color difference (ΔE) computed from published RGB values. Below 2 is hard to tell apart on the wall; above 4 is a different color. Behr does not publish LRV, so Behr values here are estimates.
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Zero | N490-1 | 1.09 | Very close | |
| Silver Shadow | N510-1 | 1.50 | Very close | |
| Manhattan Mist | 760E-2 | 1.53 | Very close |
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misty | SW 6232 | 1.16 | Very close | |
| Evening Shadow | SW 7662 | 1.60 | Very close | |
| Gray Screen | SW 7071 | 1.85 | Very close | |
| Lullaby | SW 9136 | 2.07 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Mild Blue | SW 6533 | 2.44 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Olympus White | SW 6253 | 2.54 | Close — difference visible side by side |
Lighter and darker versions
Colors from Sherwin-Williams with nearly the same hue and saturation, one step lighter or darker.
- Balmy SW 6512 · lighter, LRV 66.2
- Little Boy Blu SW 9054 · lighter, LRV 66.6
- Serenely SW 9632 · lighter, LRV 66.3
- Gray Screen SW 7071 · darker, LRV 58.5
- Zircon SW 7667 · darker, LRV 58.7
- Aloof Gray SW 6197 · darker, LRV 57.9
Colors that go with North Star
Sherwin-Williams's own coordinating colors for North Star:
- Alabaster SW 7008
- Cadet SW 9143
- Quicksilver SW 6245
North Star is too close to neutral (chroma 2.4) for hue-based pairings to be meaningful; pair it with any color that shares its blue lean, and use a crisper white for trim.
North Star vs popular colors
- Smoke (Benjamin Moore 2122-40, ΔE 4.3) is darker (LRV 56.4 vs 62.3), more green, more saturated.
- Stonington Gray (Benjamin Moore HC-170, ΔE 4.5) is darker (LRV 59.4 vs 62.3), more yellow/warm.
- Sea Salt (Sherwin-Williams SW 6204, ΔE 5.1) is about as light, more yellow/warm, more green, more saturated.