Distance (SW 6243) vs Smoky Blue (SW 7604)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- About the same: LRV 15 vs 15.
- Warmer
- Smoky Blue, both blue-gray (Lab b* -8.7 vs -11.0).
- North rooms
- About the same: both keep their brightness and color about equally (L* 42.0 vs 41.2 in north light).
- Trim that works
- Bravo Blue SW 6784, #D3E7E9, LRV 77: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.3, noticeably different. At 3.3, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Distance (SW 6243) is about as light as Smoky Blue (SW 7604) and slightly cooler: LRV 15 vs 15, deltaE 3.3 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Distance | Smoky Blue | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6243 | SW 7604 | |
| Hex | #5D6F7F | #596E79 | |
| RGB | 93, 111, 127 | 89, 110, 121 | |
| HSL | 208°, 15%, 43% | 201°, 15%, 41% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| Lab L* | 45.9 | 45.2 | +0.8 |
| Lab a* | -2.8 | -5.0 | +2.3 |
| Lab b* | -11.0 | -8.7 | −2.4 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue | Cool | |
| Temperature | cool | cool | |
| Color family | Blue | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Distance (SW 6243), published as #5D6F7F
#4B667D
#6F787F
Smoky Blue (SW 7604), published as #596E79
#476577
#6B7779
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 Distance (SW 6243) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 0 LRV points lighter (15 vs 15), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Distance (SW 6243) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is -11.0 against -8.7, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Smoky Blue (SW 7604) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* -8.7), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Distance in other brands
Closest matches to Smoky Blue in other brands
Common questions
- Is Distance the same color as Smoky Blue?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.3. Most people can see the difference between Distance and Smoky Blue side by side.
- Which is lighter, Distance or Smoky Blue?
- Neither: both have an LRV of 15.
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.