Empire Blue (Behr MQ5-56)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Empire Blue (Behr MQ5-56) is a deep, cool blue from Behr: LRV 26.7, so it reflects about 27 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Empire Blue
Four Behr colors picked for Empire 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 Empire 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 | Blue Cruise | SW 7606 | 26 | 3.3 | noticeably different |
| Benjamin Moore | Lazy Sunday | 803 | 27.2 | 2.4 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Rushing Rapids | 5001-8A | 28 | 2.4 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Vanity | 1157-5 | 26 | 2.2 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr blue colors nearest to Empire Blue (LRV 26.7 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Empire Blue
Darker than Empire Blue
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | MQ5-56 |
| Hex | #6193B4 |
| RGB | 97, 147, 180 |
| HSL | 204°, 36%, 54% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 26.7 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 58.7, -7.7, -22.4 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Empire Blue (Behr MQ5-56), published as #6193B4
#488AB2
#789CB4
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 Empire Blue (Behr MQ5-56)?
- Empire Blue has an LRV of 26.7 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Empire Blue is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Empire Blue in another brand?
- Vanity (PPG 1157-5) from PPG Paints, at a deltaE of 2.2 (very close).
- Is Empire Blue warm or cool?
- Behr lists Empire Blue as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -22.4; 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.