Smoke Blue
PPG1156-5 · #547790 · LRV 17 — cool blue tone, dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs.
- 1Anchors Aweigh3
- 2Hale Navy8
- 3Smoke Blue17
- 4Williamsburg Wedgwood Blue28
- 5Resolute Blue40
What Color Is Smoke Blue, Really?
Smoke Blue reads as a cool blue tone — dark — high drama, needs strong daylight or warm bulbs. The notes below cover how PPG / Glidden PPG1156-5 behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.
Best Rooms and Uses for Smoke Blue
Smoke Blue 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.
How Lighting Changes Smoke Blue
With an LRV of 17, Smoke Blue 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.
Most complaints about Smoke Blue 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 PPG / Glidden PPG1156-5 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 | Inky BlueSW 9149 · Sherwin-Williams | 2.8 | 15 | Color page → |
| Behr | Cayman BayPPU14-03 · Behr | 1.9 | 17 | Color page → |
| Benjamin Moore | SchoonerAF-520 · Benjamin Moore | 3.8 | 18 | Color page → |
| Valspar | Goddess of the NileV109-5 · Valspar | 0.9 | 17 | Color page → |
| Glidden | Smoke BluePPG1156-5 · Glidden | 0.6 | 17 | Color page → |
| Dutch Boy | Stars & Stripes239-6DB · Dutch Boy | 4.0 | 16 | Color page → |
Similar PPG / Glidden Colors
The nearest shades to Smoke Blue within PPG / Glidden'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 #547790 in HSL space. Pair Smoke Blue with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
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