Canterbury Bells (Behr P540-3)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Canterbury Bells (Behr P540-3) is a medium, cool purple from Behr: LRV 55.1, so it reflects about 55 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Canterbury Bells
Four Behr colors picked for Canterbury Bells by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper purple, 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 Canterbury Bells, 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 | Agapanthus | SW 9066 | 56 | 3.3 | noticeably different |
| Benjamin Moore | Oriental Iris | 1418 | 52 | 2.6 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Iris Moon | 4004-9C | 57 | 2.5 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | French Lilac | 1246-4 | 50 | 3.0 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr purple colors nearest to Canterbury Bells (LRV 55.1 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Canterbury Bells
Darker than Canterbury Bells
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | P540-3 |
| Hex | #B9C3E6 |
| RGB | 185, 195, 230 |
| HSL | 227°, 47%, 81% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 55.1 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 79.1, 3.8, -18.5 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Purple |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Canterbury Bells (Behr P540-3), published as #B9C3E6
#A6B9E4
#CDCDE6
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 Canterbury Bells (Behr P540-3)?
- Canterbury Bells has an LRV of 55.1 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Canterbury Bells is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Canterbury Bells in another brand?
- Iris Moon (Valspar 4004-9C) from Valspar, at a deltaE of 2.5 (noticeably different).
- Is Canterbury Bells warm or cool?
- Behr lists Canterbury Bells as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -18.5; 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.