Color spec
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
| Name | Pulsating Blue |
| SKU | SW 6964 |
| Hex | #01678D |
| RGB | 1, 103, 141 |
| HSL | 196°, 99%, 28% |
| LRV | 10 |
| Undertone | blue-green / cool |
| Family | Blue |
About Sherwin-Williams Pulsating Blue
With an LRV of 10, Pulsating Blue is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. 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. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.
Pulsating 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.
Closest matches at every US brand
13 brands · top 5 each5 closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all blue from that brand.
Valspar
Dutch Boy
PPG / Glidden
Behr
Dunn-Edwards
Diamond Vogel
Benjamin Moore
Kompozit
C2 Paint
Magnolia Home
Clare
Backdrop
Farrow & Ball
Similar Sherwin-Williams colors
closest in the Sherwin-Williams deckThe nearest shades to Pulsating Blue 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 #01678D in HSL space. Pair Pulsating Blue 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 Pulsating Blue Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Pulsating Blue 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 6964 directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Dutch Boy Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Dutch Boy's nearest match is Wave Runner (135-7DB), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.31). It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 10) and carries a cool blue-green undertone, so it substitutes for Pulsating Blue without repainting risk. See the full Wave Runner swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
PPG / Glidden's nearest match is Port Au Prince (PPG1238-7), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.47). It runs slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 10) and carries a cool blue-green undertone, so it substitutes for Pulsating Blue without repainting risk. See the full Port Au Prince swatch →
Valspar Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Valspar's nearest match is Deep Universe (8002-42F), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.53). It runs slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 10) and carries a cool blue-green undertone, so it substitutes for Pulsating Blue without repainting risk. See the full Deep Universe swatch →
Behr Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Behr's nearest match is Southern Evening (550D-7), visually identical in normal room light (ΔE 1.64). It runs slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 10) and carries a cool blue undertone, so it substitutes for Pulsating Blue without repainting risk. See the full Southern Evening swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
At Dunn-Edwards, the closest color to Pulsating Blue is Blue Velvet (DET559) — very close at ΔE 2.25, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 11 vs 10) and carries a cool blue-green undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Blue Velvet swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Pulsating Blue is Job's Tears (0676) — very close at ΔE 3.1, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 10 vs 10) and carries a cool blue-green undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Job's Tears swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Benjamin Moore has no exact twin of Pulsating Blue. The nearest is Deep Ocean (2058-30) at ΔE 3.94 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It runs slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 10). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Deep Ocean swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Kompozit has no exact twin of Pulsating Blue. The nearest is Job's Tears (0676) at ΔE 4.51 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 9 vs 10). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Job's Tears swatch →
C2 Paint Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
C2 Paint doesn't make a true equivalent of Pulsating Blue — the nearest deck color, Blue Grotto (C2-726), is clearly different (ΔE 5.39). For an exact match, any C2 Paint retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6964 instead. See the full Blue Grotto swatch →
Magnolia Home Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Magnolia Home doesn't make a true equivalent of Pulsating Blue — the nearest deck color, Superior (JG-163), is clearly different (ΔE 5.51). For an exact match, any Magnolia Home retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6964 instead. See the full Superior swatch →
Clare Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Clare doesn't make a true equivalent of Pulsating Blue — the nearest deck color, Sublime (PNT100-DP-45), is clearly different (ΔE 7.55). For an exact match, any Clare retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6964 instead. See the full Sublime swatch →
Farrow & Ball Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Farrow & Ball doesn't make a true equivalent of Pulsating Blue — the nearest deck color, Stiffkey Blue (NO. 281), is clearly different (ΔE 10.91). For an exact match, any Farrow & Ball retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6964 instead. See the full Stiffkey Blue swatch →
Backdrop Equivalent of Pulsating Blue
Backdrop doesn't make a true equivalent of Pulsating Blue — the nearest deck color, We Three Kings (BD-WK), is clearly different (ΔE 11.01). For an exact match, any Backdrop retailer can custom-tint Sherwin-Williams SW 6964 instead. See the full We Three Kings swatch →