Essex Blue (Behr S500-2)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Essex Blue (Behr S500-2) is a medium, cool blue from Behr: LRV 57.5, so it reflects about 58 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Essex Blue
Four Behr colors picked for Essex 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 Essex 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 | Vast Sky | SW 6506 | 55 | 1.5 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Greenhow Blue | CW-655 | 55.5 | 1.3 | very close |
| Valspar | Adrift | 4006-5B | 60 | 1.1 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Sonata | 1157-3 | 55 | 1.3 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr blue colors nearest to Essex Blue (LRV 57.5 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Essex Blue
Darker than Essex Blue
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | S500-2 |
| Hex | #B0CCDA |
| RGB | 176, 204, 218 |
| HSL | 200°, 36%, 77% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 57.5 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 80.5, -6.4, -10.1 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Essex Blue (Behr S500-2), published as #B0CCDA
#9DC2D8
#C4D6DA
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 Essex Blue (Behr S500-2)?
- Essex Blue has an LRV of 57.5 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Essex Blue is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Essex Blue in another brand?
- Adrift (Valspar 4006-5B) from Valspar, at a deltaE of 1.1 (very close).
- Is Essex Blue warm or cool?
- Behr lists Essex Blue as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -10.1; 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.