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Brands · answered by Fini

Is there a cheaper alternative to Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue?

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Quick answer

The closest cheaper match is Dulux Smokey Slate at ΔE 3.2 — near enough that most eyes won't clock the difference once it's on the wall. Crown Slate Grey and COAT The Coal Drop are decent backups but drift further from the original.

Inchyra Blue is that gorgeous brooding teal-grey that goes blue, green or near-black depending on the light — and that complexity is exactly why it's hard to dupe cheaply. Most budget "blue-greys" land flat and lifeless next to it. But there are honest contenders.

Dulux Smokey Slate is your best bet at ΔE 3.2 from the original. That's not a perfect match — anything under ΔE 1 is imperceptible, under 2.5 is very close — but 3.2 is close enough that nobody's going to stand in your hallway with a colour fan calling you out. Its LRV of 12.3 sits right in Inchyra territory, so it'll read with the same depth and moodiness. For a hallway or a feature wall, that's the one I'd reach for.

COAT The Coal Drop comes in at ΔE 5.4 (LRV 14). It's a touch lighter and not as faithful, but COAT's an eco, low-VOC formula with proper modern paint quality — if you care about the green credentials and want something a bit more contemporary, it's worth a sample.

Crown Slate Grey is ΔE 4.5 (LRV 15.9) — the lightest of the three. It loses a bit of Inchyra's drama, so I'd only use it if you actually want a slightly airier version.

The "but what about" here: a low ΔE on a swatch doesn't guarantee a match on your wall. Inchyra Blue is a chameleon, and cheaper paints often have simpler pigment loads that don't shift the same way through the day. Order a sample pot of Smokey Slate and Inchyra itself, paint both on a bit of lining paper, and move it round the room morning and evening. If the cheaper one holds up in your light, you've just saved a tidy sum, mate. If it goes dead in north light where Inchyra still sings — that's your answer too.

Colours from the answer

LRV 13
Farrow & Ball
Inchyra Blue
LRV 12.3
Dulux
Smokey Slate
LRV 15.9
Crown
Slate Grey
LRV 14
COAT
The Coal Drop

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