Tranquility (BM AF-490) vs Sea Salt (SW 6204)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Sea Salt, LRV 63 vs 53.3.
- Warmer
- Sea Salt, both green-gray (Lab b* 3.4 vs 3.1).
- North rooms
- Sea Salt keeps more brightness (L* 79.6 vs 74.0 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Stonewashed BM 865, #E4EBE4, LRV 79.9: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.1, noticeably different. At 4.1, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Tranquility (BM AF-490) is darker than Sea Salt (SW 6204) and about as warm: LRV 53.3 vs 63, deltaE 4.1 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Tranquility | Sea Salt | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | AF-490 | SW 6204 | |
| Hex | #BBC3BB | #CDD2CA | |
| RGB | 187, 195, 187 | 205, 210, 202 | |
| HSL | 120°, 6%, 75% | 97°, 8%, 81% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 53.3 | 63 | −9.7 |
| Lab L* | 78.0 | 83.6 | −5.6 |
| Lab a* | -4.2 | -3.1 | −1.1 |
| Lab b* | 3.1 | 3.4 | −0.3 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Cool Blue-Green | |
| Temperature | neutral | cool | |
| Color family | Gray | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Tranquility (BM AF-490), published as #BBC3BB
#AAB9B9
#CDCDBB
Sea Salt (SW 6204), published as #CDD2CA
#BBC8C8
#DFDCCA
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Sea Salt (SW 6204) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 9.7 LRV points lighter (63 vs 53.3), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Tranquility in other brands
Closest matches to Sea Salt in other brands
Common questions
- Is Tranquility the same color as Sea Salt?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.1. Most people can see the difference between Tranquility and Sea Salt side by side.
- Which is lighter, Tranquility or Sea Salt?
- Sea Salt, with an LRV of 63 against 53.3.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Tranquility: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02); Sea Salt: 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.