Smoky Blue (SW 7604) vs Waterloo (SW 9141)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Smoky Blue, LRV 15 vs 13.
- Warmer
- About the same, both blue-gray (Lab b* -8.7 vs -8.2).
- North rooms
- Smoky Blue keeps more brightness (L* 41.2 vs 38.7 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Bravo Blue SW 6784, #D3E7E9, LRV 77: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.4, noticeably different. At 2.4, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Smoky Blue (SW 7604) is slightly lighter than Waterloo (SW 9141) and about as warm: LRV 15 vs 13, deltaE 2.4 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Smoky Blue | Waterloo | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7604 | SW 9141 | |
| Hex | #596E79 | #536872 | |
| RGB | 89, 110, 121 | 83, 104, 114 | |
| HSL | 201°, 15%, 41% | 199°, 16%, 39% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 15 | 13 | +2 |
| Lab L* | 45.2 | 42.7 | +2.5 |
| Lab a* | -5.0 | -5.3 | +0.3 |
| Lab b* | -8.7 | -8.2 | −0.5 |
| Undertone | Cool | Cool | |
| Temperature | cool | cool | |
| Color family | Blue | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Smoky Blue (SW 7604), published as #596E79
#476577
#6B7779
Waterloo (SW 9141), published as #536872
#415F70
#657172
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 Smoky Blue (SW 7604) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 2 LRV points lighter (15 vs 13), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Smoky Blue in other brands
Closest matches to Waterloo in other brands
Common questions
- Is Smoky Blue the same color as Waterloo?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.4. Most people can see the difference between Smoky Blue and Waterloo side by side.
- Which is lighter, Smoky Blue or Waterloo?
- Smoky Blue, with an LRV of 15 against 13.
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.