Shadow Blue (Behr N480-3)

Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Shadow Blue (Behr N480-3) is a medium, cool gray from Behr: LRV 44.8, so it reflects about 45 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Shadow Blue
Four Behr colors picked for Shadow Blue 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 Shadow 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 | Dockside Blue | SW 7601 | 43 | 1.6 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Celtic Blue | ES-31 | 45 | 1.1 | very close |
| Valspar | Palisade Blue | 4006-3B | 46 | 2.7 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Peace | 10-28 | 43 | 1.6 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr gray colors nearest to Shadow Blue (LRV 44.8 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Shadow Blue
Darker than Shadow Blue
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | N480-3 |
| Hex | #A6B5BD |
| RGB | 166, 181, 189 |
| HSL | 201°, 15%, 70% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 44.8 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 72.8, -3.5, -5.8 |
| Undertone | Cool |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Shadow Blue (Behr N480-3), published as #A6B5BD
#94ABBB
#B9BFBD
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 Shadow Blue (Behr N480-3)?
- Shadow Blue has an LRV of 44.8 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Shadow Blue is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Shadow Blue in another brand?
- Celtic Blue (BM ES-31) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 1.1 (very close).
- Is Shadow Blue warm or cool?
- Behr lists Shadow Blue as cool, with a Cool undertone. Its Lab b* value is -5.8; 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.