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Brands · answered by Fini

Is there a cheaper alternative to Farrow & Ball Studio Green?

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Quick answer

Yes — COAT Brewer is the closest match at ΔE 2.6, with Crown Racing Green (ΔE 2.7) and Dulux Scottish Loch (ΔE 3) close behind, though none is a side-by-side dead ringer. Brewer is the one I'd reach for if you want that near-black green for less.

Studio Green is one of those F&B colours that reads as black until the light catches it, then it goes deep, mossy and brilliant. It's a cracking colour — but you don't have to pay F&B money to get it.

The closest match in our database is COAT Brewer at ΔE 2.6 (LRV 7.2). For calibration: under ΔE 1 is imperceptible and under 2.5 is very close — 2.6 sits right on that line, so on its own wall Brewer reads as the Studio Green look, though a sharp eye could pick the two apart side by side. Brewer is also a low-VOC, water-based paint that sticks and levels beautifully, so it's my first pick here.

Right behind it is Crown Racing Green at ΔE 2.7 (LRV 6.2) — a touch deeper and darker, which actually leans closer to that brooding near-black character of the original. If you're after maximum drama, this one's lovely. And Dulux Scottish Loch comes in at ΔE 3 (LRV 7.5), slightly lighter and the least exact of the three, but still a genuinely good shout if Dulux is what your local merchant stocks.

The "but what about" question is always finish. F&B's depth partly comes from their chalky pigment load, and budget brands in a flat matt can occasionally read marginally flatter or warmer. Get the trade tester pots, paint two A3 boards, and stand them next to a Studio Green swatch on both a north and a south wall before you commit. Dark greens shift more than people expect depending on light.

My honest steer: go COAT Brewer for the best blend of colour accuracy, low odour and price. Use it in a deep matt or eggshell — these near-black greens look their best with a slight sheen on woodwork, where the light can pick out the green undertone. On walls, keep it flat. Two coats over a grey-tinted primer if you're going over anything pale.

Colours from the answer

LRV 7
Farrow & Ball
Studio Green
LRV 7.5
Dulux
Scottish Loch
LRV 6.2
Crown
Racing Green
LRV 7.2
COAT
Brewer

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