Sea Green
CW-515 · #A3B692 · LRV 42 — cool green tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
- 1Sage Green22
- 2Evergreen Fog30
- 3Sea Green42
- 4October Mist47
- 5Soft Fern57
What Color Is Sea Green, Really?
Sea Green CW-515 is a soft, muted sage. Its hex is #A3B692 and its hue of 92 degrees sits just on the yellow side of green, but saturation is only 20 percent, so the color never turns into olive or lime. An LRV of 42 puts it in the middle of the range, light enough to keep a room open and dark enough to hold its color instead of washing out to a pale tint.
People choose it when they want a green that behaves. It is clearly a color, not a green-tinted neutral, but it is quiet enough to live with on full walls for years. It sits comfortably with wood, cream, brass, and clay tones, which is why it turns up in older houses and in kitchens that want color without going dark.
The thing to watch is the yellow. Under strong south light or warm 2700K bulbs the yellow-green base comes forward and the color can drift toward olive, especially over yellow-toned oak floors. In cool north light it does the opposite and grays out. Sample it against your floor and your countertop before you buy a gallon, because those two surfaces will push it further than the paint chip suggests.
Sea Green reads as a dusty sage. Its hue of 92 degrees sits just on the yellow side of green, but saturation is only 20 percent, so the yellow stays a base note rather than an obvious cast. What you see on a wall is a quiet green that behaves close to a neutral.
Against a bright white it looks clearly green. Against a warm beige or tan it cools down and can read almost gray-green. Next to a saturated grass green or an emerald it flattens out and looks softer than it did on the chip.
Undertone problems usually come from the floor. Yellow oak and orange-toned pine push the yellow in Sea Green forward and can make it look tired. Gray-washed and walnut floors hold it steady. Check it against your flooring, your countertop, and any existing green tile before committing, since a nearby green will decide which way this one tips.
Best Rooms and Uses for Sea Green
A mid-tone at LRV 42 is easy to live with on full walls. Bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and home offices all take it, and it is a reasonable whole-house green for people who want color without committing to a dark room. It also works on a bedroom ceiling, where the softness keeps it from pressing down.
Cabinetry is the other strong use. On kitchen or bathroom cabinets it is light enough to keep the room bright while still reading clearly as a color, and it pairs naturally with wood counters, cream, and unlacquered brass.
Outdoors it works as a body color on cottages and older houses, and as a shutter color against a cream body. Keep trim in a white rather than a matching green so the shape of the house stays readable. In a windowless room it loses its life and settles into a dull gray-green, so give it at least one window.
How Lighting Changes Sea Green
LRV 42 puts Sea Green in the middle of the range. It reflects a fair amount of light, so it keeps a room feeling open, but it is dark enough to hold its color rather than fading to a pale wash.
North-facing rooms cool it down and gray it out. The green stays, but it reads dustier and quieter. South-facing rooms bring the yellow side forward and the color looks warmer and more alive, occasionally edging toward olive in strong summer sun. East rooms look freshest in the morning. West rooms stay flat until late afternoon, then warm noticeably.
Bulbs push it the same way. Warm 2700K lamps bring out the yellow-green and cozy it up. Cooler 3500K to 4000K bulbs strip the warmth and leave a cleaner, grayer sage. Because 42 holds up in most light, the risk here is not dimness, it is the color drifting warmer than you planned.
Most complaints about Sea Green 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 Benjamin Moore CW-515 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | HavenSW 6437 · Sherwin-Williams | 1.5 | 42 | Color page → |
| Behr | Spartan Stone780D-5 · Behr | 2.0 | 45 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Rolling Glen5007-5C · Valspar | 0.9 | 43 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Celery Garden10GY 42/177 · Glidden | 3.4 | 42 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Refuge Green327-3DB · Dutch Boy | 4.1 | 45 | Color page → |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | HavenHGSW 2255 · HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams | 1.5 | 42 | Color page → |
Similar Benjamin Moore Colors
The nearest shades to Sea Green within Benjamin Moore'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.
Sea Green vs Similar Colors
The closest in-brand comparison is Seedling AF-450, which has the same hex and the same LRV 42; they are the same green in two collections. Sherwood Green HC-118 and Palisades Park 439, both #A9B595 at LRV 43, are marginally lighter and warmer, a difference that only shows on a large wall. Central Park 431, LRV 44, is the more yellow-green option and reads fresher and younger.
Across brands, Valspar Rolling Glen 5007-5C at LRV 43 is effectively the same color, with a deltaE of 0.9. Sherwin-Williams Haven SW 6437 at LRV 42 and Behr Jungle Camouflage N350-4 at LRV 43 are visually identical in normal room light, at 1.46 and 1.56, and C2 Wasabi C2-666 at LRV 41 sits in the same band. Diamond Vogel Hidden Glade 0744, LRV 41, is very close, so sample first. Dutch Boy Refuge Green 327-3DB and Clare Matcha Latte are close but visibly different side by side.
Colors That Go With Sea Green
White trim is the safe partner, and a slightly warm white suits it better than a stark one, because a cold white can make the sage look flat.
Inside the same line, close relatives work as adjacent walls or a second room. Seedling AF-450 shares the exact hex, #A3B692, and the same LRV 42, so it is the same green under another name. Palisades Park 439 and Sherwood Green HC-118, both #A9B595 at LRV 43, sit a hair lighter and slightly warmer. Dill Weed 481, LRV 42, is drier and a touch more yellow. Central Park 431 at LRV 44 and Liberty Park 487 at LRV 44 push further into yellow-green if you want a livelier sage in an adjoining space.
Wood is the natural accent. Oak, teak, and rattan all sit well against it, and brass, bronze, or black hardware all work. Cream and soft clay tones make a comfortable third color in the scheme.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #A3B692 in HSL space. Pair Sea Green with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Sea Green FAQ
Is Sea Green warm or cool?
Sea Green reads as a cool, muted green even though its hue of 92 degrees sits just on the yellow side of the green range. The low 20 percent saturation grays it down, so the yellow works as a base note rather than a warm cast. In strong south light or under warm bulbs the yellow comes forward and it feels warmer than it does in north light.
What LRV is Sea Green?
Sea Green has an LRV of 42, on a scale from 0 for black to 100 for pure white. That makes it a true mid-tone. It reflects enough light to keep a room feeling open, but not so much that the color washes out, which is why it holds up on full walls and on cabinets without turning a space dark.
Does Sea Green work in a dark room?
Better than most greens, because at LRV 42 it still gives light back. In a north-facing or dim room it will read grayer and dustier, losing some of its life, but it will not go murky the way a mid-dark green would. In a fully windowless room it flattens to a dull gray-green, so keep at least one light source of daylight quality nearby.
What white trim goes with Sea Green?
A warm or soft white works best. It echoes the yellow-green base and keeps the sage looking intentional instead of flat. A brighter, cleaner white gives more contrast against the LRV of 42 and suits a crisper, more modern room, but avoid a blue-based white, which can make the green look dull by comparison.
Is Sea Green good for kitchen cabinets?
Yes. At LRV 42 it is light enough to keep a kitchen bright while still reading clearly as a color, which is why sages in this range work on full cabinet runs as well as on islands. It pairs naturally with wood counters, cream walls, and brass or bronze hardware, and it holds up well in satin or semi-gloss.
Is Sea Green the same as Seedling?
In color terms, yes. Seedling AF-450 has the same hex, #A3B692, and the same LRV of 42 as Sea Green CW-515. They are the same green listed in two different collections, so if your dealer stocks one and not the other, either will give you the same wall. Confirm the formula at the counter before mixing.
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