Home › Sherwin-Williams › Blue › Blue Refrain
Blue Refrain SW 6956
On-screen approximation from the published RGB value. Order a physical sample before you decide.
Undertone: Saturated blue (a color, not a neutral)
In CIELAB, Blue Refrain sits at L* 84.0, a* -9.8, b* -11.7. Its hue angle is 230° and its chroma is 15.2, so it reads as an outright blue rather than a neutral. It classifies as cool. Among Sherwin-Williams colors with a similar LRV (±5), it is warmer (more yellow) than 2%.
LRV 64.3: light
Light Reflectance Value runs from 0 (absolute black) to 100 (perfect white). At 64.3, Blue Refrain is lighter than 78% of Sherwin-Williams colors. The most forgiving range for whole-house walls. Keeps rooms bright without glare.
Closest Benjamin Moore match to Blue Refrain
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Breeze | 2058-60 | 0.32 | Practically identical | |
| Skylark Song | 778 | 0.79 | Practically identical | |
| Hawaiian Breeze | 772 | 1.20 | Very close |
Closest Behr match to Blue Refrain
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Feather | 540A-3 | 1.43 | Very close | |
| Monaco | 550C-3 | 1.48 | Very close | |
| Frosty Glade | 530A-3 | 1.52 | Very close |
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
| Color | Code | ΔE2000 | How close | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Something Blue | SW 6800 | 0.89 | Practically identical | |
| Blue Click | SW 6952 | 2.00 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Bluebell | SW 6793 | 2.51 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Minor Blue | SW 6792 | 2.98 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Liquid Blue | SW 6779 | 3.31 | Close — difference visible side by side | |
| Soar | SW 6799 | 3.81 | 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.
- Byte Blue SW 6498 · lighter, LRV 68.4
- Minor Blue SW 6792 · lighter, LRV 68.4
- Quench Blue SW 6785 · lighter, LRV 68.6
- Jetstream SW 6492 · darker, LRV 60.0
- Wondrous Blue SW 6807 · darker, LRV 59.2
- Cay SW 6772 · darker, LRV 58.2
Colors that go with Blue Refrain
Sherwin-Williams's own coordinating colors for Blue Refrain:
- Meadowlark SW 7522
- Harvester SW 6373
Color-theory pairings — the nearest Sherwin-Williams color to each rotated hue, keeping the same lightness and saturation:
- Koral Kicks SW 6610 · complementary (180°)
- Spa SW 6765 · analogous (−30°)
- Bewitching Blue SW 6960 · analogous (+30°)
- Panache Pink SW 6848 · triadic (120°)
- Acanthus SW 0029 · triadic (240°)
Blue Refrain vs popular colors
- Smoke (Benjamin Moore 2122-40, ΔE 8.6) is darker (LRV 56.4 vs 64.3), more yellow/warm, more red/pink, more muted.
- Palladian Blue (Benjamin Moore HC-144, ΔE 11.1) is darker (LRV 60.4 vs 64.3), more yellow/warm, more red/pink, more muted.
- Gray Cashmere (Benjamin Moore 2138-60, ΔE 13.2) is about as light, more yellow/warm, more red/pink, more muted.