Tradewind (SW 6218) vs Tidewater (SW 6477)
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Tidewater, LRV 65 vs 61.
- Warmer
- Tidewater, both blue-gray (Lab b* -0.3 vs -1.5).
- North rooms
- Tidewater keeps more brightness (L* 80.5 vs 78.2 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Blue Horizon SW 6497, #D8E7E6, LRV 78: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.8, noticeably different. At 3.8, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Tradewind (SW 6218) is slightly darker than Tidewater (SW 6477) and slightly cooler: LRV 61 vs 65, deltaE 3.8 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Tradewind | Tidewater | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6218 | SW 6477 | |
| Hex | #C2CFCF | #C3D7D3 | |
| RGB | 194, 207, 207 | 195, 215, 211 | |
| HSL | 180°, 12%, 79% | 168°, 20%, 80% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 61 | 65 | −4 |
| Lab L* | 82.2 | 84.4 | −2.3 |
| Lab a* | -4.4 | -7.4 | +3.1 |
| Lab b* | -1.5 | -0.3 | −1.2 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Cool Green | |
| Temperature | neutral | neutral | |
| Color family | Gray | Green |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Tradewind (SW 6218), published as #C2CFCF
#B0C5CD
#D5D9CF
Tidewater (SW 6477), published as #C3D7D3
#B1CDD1
#D6E1D3
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 Tidewater (SW 6477) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 4 LRV points lighter (65 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 -0.3, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Tidewater (SW 6477) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* -0.3), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Tradewind in other brands
Closest matches to Tidewater in other brands
Common questions
- Is Tradewind the same color as Tidewater?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.8. Most people can see the difference between Tradewind and Tidewater side by side.
- Which is lighter, Tradewind or Tidewater?
- Tidewater, with an LRV of 65 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.