Honest Blue (Behr BIC-38)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Honest Blue (Behr BIC-38) is a deep, cool blue from Behr: LRV 20.9, so it reflects about 21 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Honest Blue
Four Behr colors picked for Honest Blue by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper blue, 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 Honest Blue, 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 | Sporty Blue | SW 6522 | 24 | 3.7 | noticeably different |
| Benjamin Moore | Blue Nose | 1678 | 23.8 | 2.0 | very close |
| Valspar | Roadster Blue | 4006-6B | 21 | 1.3 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Blue Beads | 1160-5 | 20 | 1.9 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr blue colors nearest to Honest Blue (LRV 20.9 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Honest Blue
Darker than Honest Blue
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | BIC-38 |
| Hex | #5A839E |
| RGB | 90, 131, 158 |
| HSL | 204°, 27%, 49% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 20.9 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 52.8, -6.8, -18.9 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Honest Blue (Behr BIC-38), published as #5A839E
#437A9C
#6F8C9E
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 Honest Blue (Behr BIC-38)?
- Honest Blue has an LRV of 20.9 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Honest Blue is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Honest Blue in another brand?
- Roadster Blue (Valspar 4006-6B) from Valspar, at a deltaE of 1.3 (very close).
- Is Honest Blue warm or cool?
- Behr lists Honest Blue as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -18.9; 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.