Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Blue Refrain |
| SKU | SW 6956 |
| Hex | #B0D8E7 |
| RGB | 176, 216, 231 |
| HSL | 196°, 53%, 80% |
| LRV | 64 |
| Undertone | cool blue-green tone |
| Family | Blue |
About Sherwin-Williams Blue Refrain
At LRV 64, Blue Refrain is a light color that bounces daylight around a room without tipping into stark white. 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. It holds its undertone in most exposures, which is what makes light shades like this so forgiving room to room.
Blue Refrain is an easy whole-room color for living spaces and bedrooms, and light enough to carry onto trim or a ceiling if you want a soft, seamless look. Blues calm a room, which makes them popular in bedrooms, bathrooms and home offices.
Closest matches by brand
12 brands within ΔE 5The closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Only colors within ΔE 5 (close enough to substitute on a wall) are shown — brands with no real match are left off. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all blue from that brand.
Behr
Benjamin Moore
Valspar
PPG / Glidden
Glidden
Dutch Boy
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
Dunn-Edwards
Diamond Vogel
Hirshfield's
C2 Paint
Kompozit
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Blue Refrain 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 #B0D8E7 in HSL space. Pair Blue Refrain 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.
Sherwin-Williams Blue Refrain Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Blue Refrain from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6956 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Behr Equivalent of Blue Refrain
The closest Behr equivalent of Blue Refrain is Boot Cut (S510-2). At ΔE 0.63 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same cool blue-green undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 63 vs 64). If Behr is your counter, order Boot Cut and you'll get the same color. See the full Boot Cut swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Blue Refrain
The closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of Blue Refrain is Ocean Breeze (2058-60). At ΔE 0.32 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same cool blue-green undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 65 vs 64). If Benjamin Moore is your counter, order Ocean Breeze and you'll get the same color. See the full Ocean Breeze swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of Blue Refrain
Valspar's nearest match is Misty (5002-9B), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.01). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 64.3 vs 64) and carries a cool blue-green undertone, so it substitutes for Blue Refrain without repainting risk. See the full Misty swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Blue Refrain
PPG / Glidden's nearest match is Ariel (PPG1237-3), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.47). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 63 vs 64) and carries a cool blue-green undertone, so it substitutes for Blue Refrain without repainting risk. See the full Ariel swatch →
Glidden Equivalent of Blue Refrain
Glidden's nearest match is Ariel (PPG1237-3), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.54). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 64 vs 64) and carries a cool blue-green undertone, so it substitutes for Blue Refrain without repainting risk. See the full Ariel swatch →
Dutch Boy Equivalent of Blue Refrain
Dutch Boy's nearest match is Blue Fin (137-3DB), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.93). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 64 vs 64) and carries a cool blue-green undertone, so it substitutes for Blue Refrain without repainting risk. See the full Blue Fin swatch →
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Equivalent of Blue Refrain
The closest HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams equivalent of Blue Refrain is Something Blue (HGSW 1376). At ΔE 0.89 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same cool blue-green undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 63 vs 64). If HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams is your counter, order Something Blue and you'll get the same color. See the full Something Blue swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Blue Refrain
The closest Dunn-Edwards equivalent of Blue Refrain is Glacier Point (DE5785). At ΔE 0.84 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same cool blue-green undertone and runs slightly darker (LRV 60 vs 64). If Dunn-Edwards is your counter, order Glacier Point and you'll get the same color. See the full Glacier Point swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Blue Refrain
At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Blue Refrain is Orleans Tune (0658) — very close at ΔE 3.25, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly darker (LRV 61 vs 64) and carries a cool blue-green undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Orleans Tune swatch →
Hirshfield's Equivalent of Blue Refrain
At Hirshfield's, the closest color to Blue Refrain is Bridgewater Bay (0650) — very close at ΔE 3.27, though not an exact twin. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 64) and carries a cool blue-green undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Bridgewater Bay swatch →
C2 Paint Equivalent of Blue Refrain
C2 Paint has no exact twin of Blue Refrain. The nearest is Thermal (C2-752) at ΔE 3.57 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 63 vs 64). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Thermal swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Blue Refrain
At Kompozit, the closest color to Blue Refrain is Bridgewater Bay (0650) — very close at ΔE 3.27, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 65 vs 64) and carries a cool blue-green undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Bridgewater Bay swatch →