Topsail (SW 6217) vs Tradewind (SW 6218)
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Topsail, LRV 75 vs 61.
- Warmer
- Topsail (Lab b* 0.0 vs -1.5). Topsail reads cool white; Tradewind reads blue-gray.
- North rooms
- Topsail keeps more brightness (L* 85.3 vs 78.2 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Rainsong SW 9681, #DDE6E5, LRV 78: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 5.1, clearly different. At 5.1, treat them as different colors.
See each color
Topsail (SW 6217) is lighter than Tradewind (SW 6218) and slightly warmer: LRV 75 vs 61, deltaE 5.1 (clearly different).
Side by side
| Measure | Topsail | Tradewind | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6217 | SW 6218 | |
| Hex | #DAE2E0 | #C2CFCF | |
| RGB | 218, 226, 224 | 194, 207, 207 | |
| HSL | 165°, 12%, 87% | 180°, 12%, 79% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 75 | 61 | +14 |
| Lab L* | 89.2 | 82.2 | +7.1 |
| Lab a* | -3.0 | -4.4 | +1.4 |
| Lab b* | 0.0 | -1.5 | +1.6 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | neutral | |
| Color family | Off-white | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Topsail (SW 6217), published as #DAE2E0
#C8D8DE
#EDECE0
Tradewind (SW 6218), published as #C2CFCF
#B0C5CD
#D5D9CF
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 Topsail (SW 6217) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 14 LRV points lighter (75 vs 61), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Tradewind (SW 6218) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is -1.5 against 0.0, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Topsail (SW 6217) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 0.0), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Topsail in other brands
Closest matches to Tradewind in other brands
Common questions
- Is Topsail the same color as Tradewind?
- They are clearly different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 5.1. Topsail and Tradewind are different colors.
- Which is lighter, Topsail or Tradewind?
- Topsail, with an LRV of 75 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.