Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Halcyon Green |
| SKU | SW 6213 |
| Hex | #90A092 |
| RGB | 144, 160, 146 |
| HSL | 127°, 8%, 60% |
| LRV | 33 |
| Undertone | cool green tone |
| Family | Gray |
What Color Is Halcyon Green, Really?
Halcyon Green (SW 6213) is a soft, muted green that behaves more like a gray on the wall. Its hue is clearly green, but the color is barely saturated, only about 8 percent, so instead of a bold sage you get a quiet green-gray with a slight cool lean. At an LRV of 33 it sits right in the mid-range: deep enough to register as a real color, light enough that it never turns a room dark.
Designers like it as the calm, blue-sage stand-in for the darker Pewter Green. You get that grounded, nature-toned look without the heavier weight, which is why it shows up on cabinets, whole rooms, and exteriors.
It suits homes that want color on the walls but not drama, and people who are tired of plain gray or greige and want something with a little life in it while still reading as a neutral.
Halcyon Green leans cool and green, but only just. With a hue in the green range and saturation near 8 percent, it is a near-neutral with a soft sage lean rather than a color that shouts green. In many rooms it reads as a warm gray with a green cast, and in cooler light a faint blue can surface.
Where the undertone shows depends on what sits next to it. Against a clean white trim like Alabaster, the green becomes obvious. Beside a warmer greige such as Agreeable Gray (SW 7029), it looks grayer and quieter by comparison. Direct sun strengthens the green; shade flattens it toward gray.
To judge it honestly, tape a sample next to a true green and next to a plain gray. That tells you fast whether it is reading green or gray in your specific light.
Best Rooms and Uses for Halcyon Green
The mid LRV of 33 makes Halcyon Green versatile. It works as a whole-room wall color in living rooms, bedrooms, and home offices, where it stays calm and easy to live with. In a study or dining room it reads a touch moodier without going dark.
It is a strong cabinet and island color, and it holds up on a bathroom vanity, giving painted millwork a soft, natural depth against white counters. As an accent wall it adds quiet contrast rather than a jolt.
Outdoors it makes a restful exterior body color and a welcoming front door, especially with white trim and black or bronze hardware. It is too deep to use as a trim color itself, so pair it with a lighter white for trim and ceilings rather than asking it to do that job.
How Lighting Changes Halcyon Green
At an LRV of 33, Halcyon Green holds a solid mid-tone in most rooms, but its low saturation makes it sensitive to light direction. North-facing rooms cool it down and pull it toward gray-blue, so it can feel a little flat or murky in a dim north space. South-facing rooms do the opposite, waking up the green and giving it more body.
East light is cool and soft in the morning, then neutral later. West light warms through the afternoon and brings the green forward. Bulb color matters too. Warm 2700K bulbs mute the green toward a soft sage; cooler 4000K bulbs push it grayer and slightly blue.
Because it shifts visibly, test it on more than one wall and look at it in daytime and at night before you commit.
Most complaints about Halcyon 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.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Halcyon Green vs Similar Colors
Halcyon Green sits in a crowded band of green-grays, and small differences change the mood. Acacia Haze (SW 9132), at LRV 32, is very close in lightness but reads grayer and less green, so it is the safer pick if you want the color to behave almost entirely as a neutral. Halcyon Green shows more of its green lean side by side.
Verdigreen (SW 9042), at LRV 34, is nearly the same depth but more clearly green and saturated. Choose it when you actually want a sage that reads as color, and choose Halcyon Green when you want that look dialed back.
Earl Grey (SW 7660), at LRV 32, is the truest gray of the group with the least green. Use it when the green cast in Halcyon Green feels like one step too far for the room.
Colors That Go With Halcyon Green
For trim and ceilings, a clean high-LRV white keeps the green crisp. Alabaster (SW 7008), at an LRV of 82, is soft enough to sit naturally beside it without going stark. Pure White (SW 7005) is a slightly brighter option if you want more contrast.
For a second wall color in an adjoining room, Agreeable Gray (SW 7029) at LRV 60 is a warm greige that steps up in lightness while staying quiet. Sea Salt (SW 6204), a pale gray-green at LRV 63, is a same-family companion that flows nicely from room to room.
For accent and contrast, use a deep color on a door, built-ins, or an island. Naval (SW 6244) brings a navy blue, while Urbane Bronze (SW 7048) gives a grounded warm dark. Both pair well with wood tones and brass or matte-black metal.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6213 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 Halcyon Green 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 #90A092 in HSL space. Pair Halcyon Green 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 Halcyon Green warm or cool, and is it more gray than green?
It is a cool-leaning color, but very soft. The hue is green while the saturation is only around 8 percent, so on the wall it usually reads as a green-gray rather than a true green. In bright south light the green comes forward, and in dim north light it looks grayer and slightly blue.
What trim white goes with Halcyon Green?
Alabaster (SW 7008) is a reliable match. At an LRV of 82 it is a soft, slightly warm white that frames Halcyon Green without looking stark, and the contrast makes the green read a little clearer. If you want a brighter, cleaner trim, Pure White (SW 7005) at LRV 84 is a good alternative.
Does Halcyon Green work on cabinets and exteriors?
Yes to both. Its mid LRV of 33 gives painted cabinets and islands a soft, natural depth against white counters, and it holds up well on a bathroom vanity. Outdoors it makes a calm exterior body color and a welcoming front door, especially paired with white trim and black or bronze hardware.
What does an LRV of 33 mean in practice for Halcyon Green?
LRV measures how much light a color reflects, from 0 (black) to 100 (white). At 33, Halcyon Green is a mid-tone. It is deep enough to feel like a real color on the wall but light enough that it will not make a room feel dark, though it does look richer in bright rooms and flatter in low light.
How is Halcyon Green different from Pewter Green?
Pewter Green (SW 6208) has an LRV of just 12, so it is a much darker, moodier green that acts as a statement or contrast color. Halcyon Green, at LRV 33, is a lighter, quieter version of the same idea. Designers often use it as the calm alternative when Pewter Green feels too heavy for a whole room.
Should I sample Halcyon Green before painting?
Definitely. Because its saturation is low, Halcyon Green shifts noticeably between green and gray depending on light direction and bulb color. Paint a large sample on two different walls, and check it in daylight and at night before committing. This is the only reliable way to see how it will actually read in your specific room.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Halcyon Green behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY HALCYON GREEN ON YOUR ROOM →
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