Sea Salt (SW 6204) vs Pine Frost (SW 9656)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Pine Frost, LRV 65 vs 63.
- Warmer
- About the same, both green-gray (Lab b* 3.4 vs 4.3).
- North rooms
- Pine Frost keeps more brightness (L* 80.7 vs 79.6 in north light); Sea Salt drifts less gray (chroma drop 0.0 vs 0.8).
- Trim that works
- Green Glimpse SW 9676, #E7EAE3, LRV 82: 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 darker than Pine Frost (SW 9656) and about as warm: LRV 63 vs 65, deltaE 1.1 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Sea Salt | Pine Frost | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6204 | SW 9656 | |
| Hex | #CDD2CA | #D0D5CB | |
| RGB | 205, 210, 202 | 208, 213, 203 | |
| HSL | 97°, 8%, 81% | 90°, 11%, 82% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 63 | 65 | −2 |
| Lab L* | 83.6 | 84.6 | −1.0 |
| Lab a* | -3.1 | -3.5 | +0.4 |
| Lab b* | 3.4 | 4.3 | −1.0 |
| 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
Pine Frost (SW 9656), published as #D0D5CB
#BECBC9
#E2DFCB
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 Pine Frost (SW 9656) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 2 LRV points lighter (65 vs 63), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Sea Salt in other brands
Closest matches to Pine Frost in other brands
Common questions
- Is Sea Salt the same color as Pine Frost?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.1. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Sea Salt and Pine Frost.
- Which is lighter, Sea Salt or Pine Frost?
- Pine Frost, with an LRV of 65 against 63.
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.