Stiffkey Blue → Behr
The closest Behr matches for Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue (No.281), ranked by perceptual color distance.
Finding a Behr Equivalent for Stiffkey Blue
If you love Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue 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 Farrow & Ball, or you simply want to compare prices across brands before committing.
Stiffkey Blue (No.281) is a dark navy with blue-gray undertones. A deep, complex navy blue named after the Norfolk village. More gray and muted than Hague Blue, with a calm, scholarly quality. To find a good Behr match, we need a color that captures not just the right depth (LRV 7) but also that specific undertone character. That is where Delta E color science comes in.
We calculated the perceptual color distance between Stiffkey Blue 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 good news: there is a strong Behr match for Stiffkey Blue. Midnight Blue (PPU15-18) comes in with a Delta E of 2.3, which puts it in the "excellent match" range. Midnight Blue is the closest Behr option. Very close match.
Behr Matches for Stiffkey Blue
Midnight Blue is the closest Behr option. Very close match.
| Stiffkey Blue | Midnight Blue | |
|---|---|---|
| LRV | 7 | 5 |
| Hex | #374352 | #323C4B |
| Undertone | Blue-Gray | Blue-Purple |
| Family | Navy | Navy |
Undertone Comparison
Stiffkey Blue has blue-gray undertones. A deep, complex navy blue named after the Norfolk village. More gray and muted than Hague Blue, with a calm, scholarly quality.
Midnight Blue has blue-purple undertones. A deep, dramatic navy with subtle purple undertones. Rich and bold, with more purple lean than many navies.
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. Stiffkey Blue's blue-gray quality may read differently than Midnight Blue's blue-purple 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
Stiffkey Blue in Your Room
In bright light, it reads as a deep blue-gray. In dim rooms, it approaches a sophisticated near-black with blue depth. More restrained than Hague Blue.
Midnight Blue in Your Room
In bright light, the blue dominates. In dim rooms, the purple undertone becomes more apparent. Reads as a dramatic, moody navy in most settings.
LRV and Brightness
Stiffkey Blue has an LRV of 7, while Midnight Blue has an LRV of 5. 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 Stiffkey Blue
Farrow & Ball recommends Stiffkey Blue for: accent wall, office, bedroom, powder room, front door. With an LRV of 7, this is a dark color that absorbs more light than it reflects. It makes a bold statement and works beautifully on accent walls, front doors, exterior trim, and features where drama is the goal. In a full room, make sure you have good lighting and bright white trim for contrast.
Midnight Blue is recommended for: accent wall, front door, powder room, office, bedroom. Both colors are recommended for similar applications, which confirms that this is a practical cross-brand match. You can use Midnight Blue in the same rooms you planned for Stiffkey Blue.
Stiffkey Blue in Other Brands
Looking for Stiffkey Blue equivalents in other brands besides Behr? We have matches across all major paint brands.
Frequently Asked Questions
The closest Behr match for Stiffkey Blue (No.281) is Midnight Blue (PPU15-18) with a Delta E of 2.3, which rates as a "excellent match" match. Midnight Blue is the closest Behr option. Very close match. 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. Stiffkey Blue is a Farrow & Ball color with blue-gray undertones and an LRV of 7. Midnight Blue is a Behr color with blue-purple undertones and an LRV of 5. With a Delta E of 2.3, the difference is subtle and mainly visible in direct side-by-side comparison. 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 2.3, these colors are close enough to use in separate rooms of the same house without a jarring difference. However, avoid painting them on adjacent walls in the same room, as even subtle differences become apparent at a hard edge where two paints meet. For the smoothest result, use one brand consistently within each connected space and reserve the other brand for rooms that are visually separated.
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.