Sea Salt → Behr
The closest Behr matches for Sherwin Williams Sea Salt (SW 6204), ranked by perceptual color distance.
Finding a Behr Equivalent for Sea Salt
If you love Sherwin Williams Sea Salt but need a Behr alternative, you are not alone. This is one of the most common cross-brand paint matching searches, whether you are working with a painter who prefers Behr, your local store does not carry Sherwin Williams, or you simply want to compare prices across brands before committing.
Sea Salt (SW 6204) is a light green with green-gray undertones. A soft, muted green-gray that shifts beautifully with light. Part green, part gray, part blue depending on the moment. It's a chameleon. To find a good Behr match, we need a color that captures not just the right depth (LRV 63) but also that specific undertone character. That is where Delta E color science comes in.
We calculated the perceptual color distance between Sea Salt and every Behr color using the CIE2000 Delta E formula, which measures how different two colors look to the human eye. A Delta E under 2 means most people cannot tell the colors apart. Between 2 and 4, you might notice a difference in certain lighting. Above 5, the difference is clearly visible side by side.
The results are decent but not perfect. The closest Behr option is Ocean Air (MQ3-20) with a Delta E of 4.3, which is a "good match" level match. Ocean Air captures a similar soft green-gray quality. Not identical, but achieves a comparable calming effect. You will want to test a sample before committing, as the difference may be noticeable in certain lighting.
Behr Matches for Sea Salt
Ocean Air captures a similar soft green-gray quality. Not identical, but achieves a comparable calming effect.
| Sea Salt | Ocean Air | |
|---|---|---|
| LRV | 63 | 60 |
| Hex | #CDD6CC | #C7D3CA |
| Undertone | Green-Gray | Soft Green-Blue |
| Family | Green | Green |
Undertone Comparison
Sea Salt has green-gray undertones. A soft, muted green-gray that shifts beautifully with light. Part green, part gray, part blue depending on the moment. It's a chameleon.
Ocean Air has soft green-blue undertones. A soft, calming green-blue gray. Captures that spa-like serenity without committing to a strong green or blue.
The undertone difference is worth paying attention to. While they are close in overall appearance, the different undertones mean they may diverge in certain lighting. Sea Salt's green-gray quality may read differently than Ocean Air's soft green-blue character, especially in rooms with strong directional light or colored accents that could pull out one undertone more than the other. Test a sample in your specific room before committing.
How These Colors Behave in Different Lighting
Sea Salt in Your Room
In bright light, the green comes forward. In dim or north-facing rooms, it reads as a soft blue-gray. Under warm light, it can lean slightly sage. This color changes more than most with lighting.
Ocean Air in Your Room
Shifts between green and blue depending on light. In bright light, the green is more apparent. In cool or dim rooms, the blue comes forward. A beautiful chameleon.
LRV and Brightness
Sea Salt has an LRV of 63, while Ocean Air has an LRV of 60. These two colors reflect a very similar amount of light, so you should not notice a significant difference in room brightness when switching between them. The room will feel approximately the same in terms of light and space, which makes this a smoother transition.
Best Rooms for Sea Salt
Sherwin Williams recommends Sea Salt for: bathroom, bedroom, laundry room, nursery, spa-like spaces. With an LRV of 63, this is a light color that is in the medium-light range, reflecting enough light to keep rooms feeling open while adding more color and depth than a white or off-white. It works well in living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways where you want warmth and character without darkness.
Ocean Air is recommended for: bathroom, bedroom, nursery, laundry room, spa-like spaces. Both colors are recommended for similar applications, which confirms that this is a practical cross-brand match. You can use Ocean Air in the same rooms you planned for Sea Salt.
Sea Salt in Other Brands
Looking for Sea Salt equivalents in other brands besides Behr? We have matches across all major paint brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
The closest Behr match for Sea Salt (SW 6204) is Ocean Air (MQ3-20) with a Delta E of 4.3, which rates as a "good match" match. Ocean Air captures a similar soft green-gray quality. Not identical, but achieves a comparable calming effect. Delta E measures perceptual color distance on a scale where under 2 means nearly identical, 2 to 4 means close with subtle differences, and over 5 means clearly noticeable.
No, they are not identical. Sea Salt is a Sherwin Williams color with green-gray undertones and an LRV of 63. Ocean Air is a Behr color with soft green-blue undertones and an LRV of 60. With a Delta E of 4.3, you will likely notice a difference, especially in bright or direct lighting. Paint formulations differ between brands, so even colors with similar values can look slightly different due to pigment concentration, binders, and finish.
With a Delta E of 4.3, the difference is enough that they should not be used on adjacent walls in the same room. You can use them in separate rooms of the same house, but be aware that walking from one room to the other may reveal the difference, especially if the rooms have similar lighting. For the most consistent look, pick one brand for all connected living spaces and reserve the other brand for visually separate rooms like bathrooms or bedrooms behind closed doors.
There are several practical reasons to look for a Behr equivalent. Price differences between brands can be significant on large projects. Availability matters if your nearest paint store or home center specializes in Behr. Some painters have strong preferences for one brand's formula based on coverage, dry time, or workability. And if you are touching up existing Behr work, matching within the same brand gives you the best consistency for seamless results.
Match calculations use Delta E (CIE2000) computed from Lab color space conversion. Color data sourced from manufacturer specifications. Last reviewed: March 22, 2026.