Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Aleutian |
| SKU | SW 6241 |
| Hex | #98A9B7 |
| RGB | 152, 169, 183 |
| HSL | 207°, 18%, 66% |
| LRV | 39 |
| Undertone | cool blue tone |
| Family | Blue |
What Color Is Aleutian, Really?
Aleutian SW 6241 is a soft blue-gray. Its hex value #A6B6BD sits at hue 198, just into the blue-green range, with only about 15 percent saturation, so the gray does most of the talking and the blue arrives second. An LRV of 41 places it in the mid-tone band, on the lighter side of the middle. That is bright enough to keep a room feeling open but deep enough that the color is unmistakably there, not a wash of near-white.
People pick it when they want blue without commitment. From across the room it reads as a cool gray; up close the blue shows. That behavior makes it easy to use in open plans, since it reads as a neutral against wood and white but still gives a room a direction. It suits coastal, transitional, and quiet modern interiors.
The thing to check is how cool it goes. With no warmth in the mix, Aleutian in a north-facing room with gray flooring can feel chilly and a little institutional. It also flattens under cool bulbs, losing the blue and leaving plain gray. Sample it against your floors and your trim, and look at it in the evening as well as at midday.
The undertone is cool blue-green. Hue sits at 198 degrees, a step past pure blue toward teal, and saturation is only about 15 percent, so this is a gray carrying blue rather than a blue softened with gray. On a chip it can pass for plain gray; on a full wall the blue becomes clear.
What surrounds it decides which reading you get. Next to a saturated blue, Aleutian looks gray and dusty. Next to a warm greige or beige, the blue jumps forward and can look cooler than expected. Against greens it can read slightly teal, and against black or charcoal it looks lighter and softer than the chip suggested.
Hold the sample against your flooring first. Cool gray floors and Aleutian together make a very cool room, while warm oak or walnut pulls the color back toward neutral and keeps it comfortable.
Best Rooms and Uses for Aleutian
Aleutian is a comfortable whole-room wall color. Bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, and hallways all take it, and at LRV 41 it holds enough light to work in rooms with average windows. It is a good open-plan choice because it behaves like a neutral from a distance, so it does not fight the rooms next door.
On cabinetry it is one of the safer blue-grays. A kitchen island, a laundry run, or a bathroom vanity in Aleutian reads soft rather than bold, and it works with white counters, brushed nickel, and chrome as well as with brass.
Outside it makes a natural body color for coastal and shingle homes, and it suits shutters, garage doors, and porch ceilings. Since it is a color rather than a true neutral, put trim in a separate white so the blue-gray reads as a decision instead of a dirty white.
How Lighting Changes Aleutian
At LRV 41 Aleutian reflects a moderate amount of light, enough to keep a room from feeling closed in but not enough to brighten a dim space. Because saturation is low, light changes the color more than it changes many stronger blues.
North-facing rooms get cool, flat daylight that reinforces the blue-green and pushes the color deeper and cooler. In those rooms it can look almost steel. South-facing rooms bring warm light that softens the blue and lets Aleutian settle into a calm gray with a hint of sky. East rooms look cool and clean in the morning and warm up through the day; west rooms do the reverse.
Bulb temperature is worth planning. Warm 2700K lamps mute the blue and leave a soft warm gray at night. Cooler 3500K to 4000K bulbs sharpen the blue and keep the color reading as blue after dark.
Most complaints about Aleutian 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.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Aleutian vs Similar Colors
Languid Blue SW 6226 at LRV 46 shares almost the same hex, #A4B7BD, but reflects noticeably more light, so it is the choice for a darker room. Jubilee SW 6248 at LRV 45 and #ADB5B9 has less blue and reads closer to a plain gray. Faded Flaxflower SW 9146 at LRV 44 and #9EB4C0 goes the other way with more obvious blue.
Across brands, C2 Well Water BD18 at LRV 45 measures a color difference of 0.58 and Backdrop Underdog BD-UD at LRV 41 measures 0.82, both close enough to treat as the same color. Valspar Matt on Monday 8004-40C at LRV 45 measures 1.13 and Benjamin Moore Celtic Blue ES-31 at LRV 45 measures 1.6, visually identical in normal room light. Behr Bay View ECC-22-2 at LRV 45 measures 2.08, very close but sample first. Farrow and Ball Lulworth Blue No. 89 at LRV 45 measures 4.58, close but visibly different side by side.
Colors That Go With Aleutian
A clean white on trim keeps the blue crisp; a warm white softens it and takes the chill off if the room runs cool. Natural oak, walnut, jute, and linen all warm it up, and it is one of the few blue-grays that looks as good with chrome and nickel as it does with brass.
For connected rooms, its own family gives easy steps. Languid Blue SW 6226 at LRV 46 and Lakeside SW 9683 at LRV 47 are lighter versions for a ceiling or an adjoining space. Dockside Blue SW 7601 at LRV 43 sits close by with a touch more depth. Stardew SW 9138 at LRV 43 pulls slightly greener and quieter, while Jubilee SW 6248 at LRV 45 is the most neutral of the group and works when you want the blue to fade out.
For contrast, deep charcoal or navy on a door, plus natural wood, does the job without adding another hue.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6241 directly — but if you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches:
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Aleutian within Sherwin-Williams's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #98A9B7 in HSL space. Pair Aleutian with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Is Aleutian blue or gray?
It is both, and which one you notice depends on scale and light. The hue sits at 198 degrees with only about 15 percent saturation, so on a small chip it can pass for gray, while a full wall reads clearly blue-gray. Warm light mutes the blue and cool light brings it forward.
What LRV is Aleutian?
Aleutian has an LRV of 41. On the 0 to 100 scale that is a mid-tone leaning light, so it reflects a fair amount of light without acting like a pale color. Rooms painted in it stay open but still show the color clearly on every wall.
Does Aleutian work in a dark room?
It is workable but not ideal on its own. At LRV 41 it returns a moderate amount of light, so in a room with small or north-facing windows it will read deeper and cooler than the chip. If you want the same character with more brightness, Languid Blue SW 6226 at LRV 46 gives back more light with nearly the same hue.
What white trim goes with Aleutian?
A clean white keeps the blue looking crisp and gives strong separation from an LRV 41 wall. A soft warm white is the better move if the room already feels cold, since it adds warmth without changing the wall color. Sample both against the wall, because the trim choice shifts how blue Aleutian looks.
Is Aleutian good for exteriors and cabinets?
Yes to both. Outside it suits coastal and shingle homes as a body color and works on shutters, garage doors, and porch ceilings. On cabinets it gives an island or vanity soft color without the weight of a navy, and it sits comfortably with white counters and either nickel or brass hardware.
What is the closest Benjamin Moore color to Aleutian?
Benjamin Moore Celtic Blue ES-31 is the nearest match, with hex #A9B5BC and an LRV of 45 against Aleutian's 41. The measured color difference is 1.6, so the two look visually identical in normal room light. The higher LRV means Celtic Blue reads a little lighter on a full wall.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Aleutian behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY ALEUTIAN ON YOUR ROOM →
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