Prelude (Behr 740E-3)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Prelude (Behr 740E-3) is a medium, neutral gray from Behr: LRV 46.9, so it reflects about 47 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Prelude
Four Behr colors picked for Prelude by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper gray, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Behr did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Prelude, ranked by CIEDE2000 (deltaE): under 1.0 is indistinguishable, 1.0 to 2.3 very close, 2.3 to 5 noticeably different, over 5 clearly different.
| Brand | Closest color | Code | LRV | deltaE | How close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Languid Blue | SW 6226 | 46 | 1.6 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Santorini Blue | 1634 | 44.7 | 1.9 | very close |
| Valspar | Grey Brook | 5001-1B | 50 | 2.3 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Nautical Star | 1036-3 | 45 | 1.8 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr gray colors nearest to Prelude (LRV 46.9 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Prelude
Darker than Prelude
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | 740E-3 |
| Hex | #AAB9BD |
| RGB | 170, 185, 189 |
| HSL | 193°, 13%, 70% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 46.9 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 74.1, -4.4, -3.8 |
| Undertone | Cool |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Prelude (Behr 740E-3), published as #AAB9BD
#98AFBB
#BCC3BD
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Behr
More from Behr
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Prelude (Behr 740E-3)?
- Prelude has an LRV of 46.9 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Prelude is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Prelude in another brand?
- Languid Blue (SW 6226) from Sherwin-Williams, at a deltaE of 1.6 (very close).
- Is Prelude warm or cool?
- Behr lists Prelude as neutral, with a Cool undertone. Its Lab b* value is -3.8; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); LRV is not published by Behr for this color and is estimated here from the color's own hex value. Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.