Pigeon blue vs Searching Blue
Pigeon blue is a RAL Classic color while Searching Blue comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. With LRVs of 22 and 21, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 3.0, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pigeon blue vs Searching Blue in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Pigeon blue and Searching Blue are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Pigeon blue vs Searching Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pigeon blue on one side and Searching Blue on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Pigeon blue comparisons
See how Pigeon blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 22), opening up a space where Pigeon blue encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 22, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 22 vs 6, Pigeon blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 22), opening up a space where Pigeon blue encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 22, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 22), opening up a space where Pigeon blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 22, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (27 vs 22) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 22), opening up a space where Pigeon blue encloses it.
Pigeon blue reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 22, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (22 vs 13) makes Pigeon blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 22, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 22), opening up a space where Pigeon blue encloses it.
With LRVs of 22 and 21, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 22, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 22, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 22, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 22), opening up a space where Pigeon blue encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (22 vs 12) makes Pigeon blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 22 vs 8, Pigeon blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 22, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 22), opening up a space where Pigeon blue encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (22 vs 12) makes Pigeon blue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 22, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.