Upward (SW 6239) vs North Star (SW 6246)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- North Star, LRV 62 vs 57.
- Warmer
- North Star (Lab b* -1.7 vs -4.7). Upward reads blue-gray; North Star reads neutral gray.
- North rooms
- North Star keeps more brightness (L* 79.1 vs 76.4 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Rarified Air SW 6525, #E1E6E6, LRV 78: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.2, noticeably different. At 3.2, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Upward (SW 6239) is darker than North Star (SW 6246) and slightly cooler: LRV 57 vs 62, deltaE 3.2 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Upward | North Star | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6239 | SW 6246 | |
| Hex | #BFC9D0 | #CAD0D2 | |
| RGB | 191, 201, 208 | 202, 208, 210 | |
| HSL | 205°, 15%, 78% | 195°, 8%, 81% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 57 | 62 | −5 |
| Lab L* | 80.4 | 83.1 | −2.7 |
| Lab a* | -2.0 | -1.7 | −0.4 |
| Lab b* | -4.7 | -1.7 | −3.0 |
| Undertone | Cool | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | neutral | |
| Color family | Gray | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Upward (SW 6239), published as #BFC9D0
#ADBFCE
#D2D3D0
North Star (SW 6246), published as #CAD0D2
#B8C6D0
#DCDAD2
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 North Star (SW 6246) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 5 LRV points lighter (62 vs 57), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Upward (SW 6239) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is -4.7 against -1.7, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick North Star (SW 6246) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* -1.7), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Upward in other brands
Closest matches to North Star in other brands
Common questions
- Is Upward the same color as North Star?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.2. Most people can see the difference between Upward and North Star side by side.
- Which is lighter, Upward or North Star?
- North Star, with an LRV of 62 against 57.
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.