Basic Blue (BM CC-968)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Basic Blue (BM CC-968) is a very deep, cool purple from Benjamin Moore: LRV 8.4, so it reflects about 8 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Basic Blue
Three Benjamin Moore colors picked for Basic Blue by this site's color math: a trim white, 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 Basic 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 | Valiant Violet | SW 6818 | 6 | 2.5 | noticeably different |
| Behr | Expressionism | MQ5-49 | 7.1 | 2.7 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Homecoming Blue | 4009-9 | 8 | 3.0 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Daring Indigo | 1166-7 | 7 | 3.5 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Benjamin Moore
The Benjamin Moore purple colors nearest to Basic Blue (LRV 8.4) by LRV.
Lighter than Basic Blue
Darker than Basic Blue
Color data
| Brand | Benjamin Moore |
|---|---|
| Color code | CC-968 |
| Hex | #3F457D |
| RGB | 63, 69, 125 |
| HSL | 234°, 33%, 37% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 8.4 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 31.3, 14.0, -32.6 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Purple |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Basic Blue (BM CC-968), published as #3F457D
#273D7B
#544D7E
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 Basic Blue (BM CC-968)?
- Basic Blue has an LRV of 8.4. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Basic Blue is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Basic Blue in another brand?
- Valiant Violet (SW 6818) from Sherwin-Williams, at a deltaE of 2.5 (noticeably different).
- Is Basic Blue warm or cool?
- Benjamin Moore lists Basic Blue as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -32.6; 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.