Color guide · Benjamin Moore · Blue

Chicago Blues

804 · #40729C · LRV 16 · cool blue tone

804 · #40729C · LRV 16 — cool blue tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.

Chicago BluesBenjamin Moore · 804
The color, edge to edge.Use your own photo →
Chicago Blues
BENJAMIN MOORE · 804 · #40729C
Brand · codeBenjamin Moore804 · all Benjamin Moore blues
LRV16Dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
Undertonecool blue tone
FamilyBlue
Hex · RGB · HSL#40729C · 64, 114, 156 · 207°, 42%, 43%Display values from the brand. Match it at another brand
Sheen we recommendEggshell on walls · satin on trim and cabinetsWhich sheen where, explained
Where it sits, light to dark
  1. 1Anchors Aweigh3
  2. 2Hale Navy8
  3. 3Chicago Blues16
  4. 4Wolf Gray21
  5. 5Resolute Blue40
Undertone and depth

What Color Is Chicago Blues, Really?

Chicago Blues reads as a cool blue tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how Benjamin Moore 804 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.

Room by room

Best Rooms and Uses for Chicago Blues

Chicago Blues works best as a feature — a single wall, built-ins, a study or dining room — rather than wrapping a whole bright space. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.

Light by light

How Lighting Changes Chicago Blues

With an LRV of 16, Chicago Blues is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. Its blue 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. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.

Test it in your light, not a showroom's

Most complaints about Chicago Blues 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.

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Same color, different store

Need It From Another Brand?

Any paint counter can custom-tint Benjamin Moore 804 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.

Same deck, next chip over

Similar Benjamin Moore Colors

The nearest shades to Chicago Blues within Benjamin Moore's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

Contrast, for text and signage
Black text on Chicago Blues · 4.1 : 1 · large text onlyWhite text on Chicago Blues · 5.1 : 1 · passes AA

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 #40729C in HSL space. Pair Chicago Blues with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#40729C + #9C6A40
TRIADIC
#40729C · #9C4072 · #729C40
ANALOGOUS
#409C98 · #40729C · #40449C

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Jessica Williams

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