Athens Blue (BM 797)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Athens Blue (BM 797) is a very deep, cool blue from Benjamin Moore: LRV 18.7, so it reflects about 19 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Athens Blue
Four Benjamin Moore colors picked for Athens Blue by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper blue, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Benjamin Moore did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Athens 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 | Lupine | SW 6810 | 16 | 3.0 | noticeably different |
| Behr | Mega Blue | P520-6 | 14.9 | 2.0 | very close |
| Valspar | Peek-A-Boo Blue | 4007-10C | 15 | 1.6 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Nocturne Shade | 1244-6 | 15 | 1.9 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Benjamin Moore
The Benjamin Moore blue colors nearest to Athens Blue (LRV 18.7) by LRV.
Lighter than Athens Blue
Darker than Athens Blue
Color data
| Brand | Benjamin Moore |
|---|---|
| Color code | 797 |
| Hex | #3D74AC |
| RGB | 61, 116, 172 |
| HSL | 210°, 48%, 46% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 18.7 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 47.6, -0.2, -35.3 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Athens Blue (BM 797), published as #3D74AC
#0F6BAA
#597DAD
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Benjamin Moore
More from Benjamin Moore
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Athens Blue (BM 797)?
- Athens Blue has an LRV of 18.7. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Athens Blue is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Athens Blue in another brand?
- Peek-A-Boo Blue (Valspar 4007-10C) from Valspar, at a deltaE of 1.6 (very close).
- Is Athens Blue warm or cool?
- Benjamin Moore lists Athens Blue as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -35.3; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). 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.