Behr Reef Blue S490-3
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| Code: | S490-3 |
| Name: | Reef Blue |
| Brand: | Behr |
What color is Behr Reef Blue?
Behr Reef Blue S490-3 is a light, softened blue with a noticeable aqua cast that keeps it from reading overly icy. Its medium-light value gives walls color without making a room feel dark, while the muted saturation lends it a slightly weathered, airy appearance. In bright daylight, Reef Blue can look cleaner and more blue-green; under warm lamps, it tends to soften toward a gentler powdery blue. It suits bathrooms, bedrooms, laundry rooms, and covered exterior details, especially alongside crisp white trim. Pair it with pale oak, woven natural fibers, brushed nickel, or warm off-whites to bring out its easy coastal-leaning character.
Behr Reef Blue reviews (23 photos)
View the photos of real spaces painted with this blue that were not included in specific categories. Close-ups, painted furniture, storages and dressers, hallways, stairs and ceilings.
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What are Behr Reef Blue undertones?
Reef Blue is a mid-light, muted dusty blue. The HEX sample leans blue; this describes its measurable digital hue direction, not a hidden paint pigment. Warm bulbs may gray the color down, while cool daylight usually makes its blue or teal direction clearer.
HEX value:
RGB code:
147, 189, 207
Is Behr Reef Blue cool or warm?
warm
cool
At 198° on the HSL hue wheel, this Blue falls clearly in the cool range.
S490-3 Reef Blue HSL code: 198, 38%, 69%
Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.
How light temperature affects Reef Blue
Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.
In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:
| Direction of sunlight | Visible temp. | Hue | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Cool | Bluish | All day |
| East | Warm | Yellow | Before noon |
| West | Warm | Orange-red | After noon |
| South | Warm | Orange-yellow | All day |
Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this Blue shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr Reef Blue:
Monochromatic color scheme
This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.
Lighter shades
Darker shades
Complementary color scheme
This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color Reef Blue with a green hue, complementary colors are those with a red hue close to 18, such as Behr Autumn Ashes and Piano Brown.
LRV of Reef Blue
Reef Blue has an LRV of 44.86% and refers to Light Medium colors that reflect half of the incident light. Why LRV is important?
Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).
Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 44.86%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft2 living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.
Color codes
We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models
| Format | Code |
|---|---|
| HEX | #93bdcf |
| RGB Decimal | 147, 189, 207 |
| RGB Percent | 57.65%, 74.12%, 81.18% |
| HSV | Hue: 198° Saturation: 28.99% Value: 81.18% |
| HSL | hsl(198, 38, 69) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 28.99 Magenta: 8.7 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 18.82 |
| YIQ | Y: 178.494 I: -30.812 Q: -3.283 |
| XYZ | X: 41.488 Y: 47.101 Z: 65.92 |
| CIE Lab | L:74.255 a:-9.743 b:-13.582 |
| CIE Luv | L:74.255 u:-21.594 v:-19.419 |
| Decimal | 9682383 |
| Hunter Lab | 68.63, -12.196, -8.907 |
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