El Capitan
MQ4-56 · #18A4DA · LRV 32 — cool blue-green tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Hale Navy8
- 2Waterloo13
- 3El Capitan32
- 4Resolute Blue40
- 5Honolulu Blue62
What Color Is El Capitan, Really?
El Capitan reads as a cool blue-green tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how Behr MQ4-56 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for El Capitan
El Capitan is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.
How Lighting Changes El Capitan
El Capitan sits in the mid-range at LRV 32, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its teal undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.
Most complaints about El Capitan are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr MQ4-56 directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.
| Brand | Closest color | ΔE | LRV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Moore | Toronto Blue2060-40 · Benjamin Moore | 2.8 | 29 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Blue Tango4007-10B · Valspar | 3.1 | 28.6 | Color page → |
| PPG / Glidden | SorcererPPG1240-5 · PPG / Glidden | 3.8 | 28 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Mystic BluePPG1237-5 · Glidden | 3.5 | 34 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Blue Morning Glory138-6DB · Dutch Boy | 4.9 | 32 | Color page → |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | Something BorrowedHGSW 1363 · HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | 4.5 | 29 | Color page → |
Similar Behr Colors
The nearest shades to El Capitan within Behr's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #18A4DA in HSL space. Pair El Capitan with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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