Sea Salt (SW 6204) vs Sea Spray (SW 9651)
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Sea Salt, LRV 63 vs 61.
- Warmer
- About the same, both green-gray (Lab b* 3.4 vs 3.3).
- North rooms
- Sea Salt keeps more brightness (L* 79.6 vs 78.1 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Serendipity SW 9671, #E9EDE7, LRV 84: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.1, very close. At 1.1, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Sea Salt (SW 6204) is slightly lighter than Sea Spray (SW 9651) and about as warm: LRV 63 vs 61, deltaE 1.1 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Sea Salt | Sea Spray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6204 | SW 9651 | |
| Hex | #CDD2CA | #C8CEC6 | |
| RGB | 205, 210, 202 | 200, 206, 198 | |
| HSL | 97°, 8%, 81% | 105°, 8%, 79% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 63 | 61 | +2 |
| Lab L* | 83.6 | 82.1 | +1.5 |
| Lab a* | -3.1 | -3.5 | +0.4 |
| Lab b* | 3.4 | 3.3 | +0.1 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue-Green | Neutral | |
| Temperature | cool | neutral | |
| Color family | Gray | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Sea Salt (SW 6204), published as #CDD2CA
#BBC8C8
#DFDCCA
Sea Spray (SW 9651), published as #C8CEC6
#B6C4C4
#DAD8C6
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 2 LRV points lighter (63 vs 61), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Sea Salt in other brands
Closest matches to Sea Spray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Sea Salt the same color as Sea Spray?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.1. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Sea Salt and Sea Spray.
- Which is lighter, Sea Salt or Sea Spray?
- Sea Salt, with an LRV of 63 against 61.
Full pages
Related comparisons
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.