Buoyant Blue vs Crystal Clear
Buoyant Blue and Crystal Clear come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Buoyant Blue reads as blue-green, while Crystal Clear reads as green — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 80 vs 81 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 1.2 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Buoyant Blue vs Crystal Clear in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Buoyant Blue and Crystal Clear 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.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Buoyant Blue vs Crystal Clear Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Buoyant Blue on one side and Crystal Clear 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 Buoyant Blue comparisons
See how Buoyant Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 80), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (80 vs 69) makes Buoyant Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 52, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 30, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 60, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 43, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 4, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (84 vs 80) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 80 vs 21, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 66), opening up a space where Balboa Mist encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 80 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 83 and 80, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 80 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 80 vs 41, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 68, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 25, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Buoyant Blue reflects far more light (LRV 80 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 80 vs 31, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 7, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 24, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 80 vs 57, Buoyant Blue is decisively the brighter choice.