Steel Blue (BM 823)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Steel Blue (BM 823) is a deep, cool blue from Benjamin Moore: LRV 35.3, so it reflects about 35 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Steel Blue
Four Benjamin Moore colors picked for Steel 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 Steel 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 | Bluesy Note | SW 9064 | 31 | 4.2 | noticeably different |
| Behr | Washed Denim | M530-4 | 32.5 | 1.7 | very close |
| Valspar | Bliss | 4003-6A | 38 | 2.9 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Alaskan Blue | 1162-4 | 33 | 2.6 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Benjamin Moore
The Benjamin Moore blue colors nearest to Steel Blue (LRV 35.3) by LRV.
Lighter than Steel Blue
Darker than Steel Blue
Color data
| Brand | Benjamin Moore |
|---|---|
| Color code | 823 |
| Hex | #879EBF |
| RGB | 135, 158, 191 |
| HSL | 215°, 30%, 64% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 35.3 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 64.5, -0.3, -19.6 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Steel Blue (BM 823), published as #879EBF
#7394BD
#9BA8BF
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Benjamin Moore
Comparisons that include Steel Blue (BM 823)
More from Benjamin Moore
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Steel Blue (BM 823)?
- Steel Blue has an LRV of 35.3. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Steel Blue is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Steel Blue in another brand?
- Washed Denim (Behr M530-4) from Behr, at a deltaE of 1.7 (very close).
- Is Steel Blue warm or cool?
- Benjamin Moore lists Steel Blue as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -19.6; 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.