How far apart are a line’s neighbouring finishes?
"Go up one sheen" is common advice: if the Satin is too shiny, try Eggshell. How much less glossy is that, really? Inside each product line, the published ranges answer it, because one manufacturer sets the whole ladder on one scale. This page measures every step of every ladder in the dataset.
How a step is computed
Finishes in a line are put in sheen-name order (Flat, Matte, Eggshell, Pearl, Satin, Semi-Gloss). For each neighbouring pair, step = the upper finish's lowest published value − the lower finish's highest published value, taken at one angle and only when both finishes publish at that angle. A positive step is a stretch of gloss values neither finish covers; zero means the ranges touch at one value; a negative step means they share that many units (formulas). A finish published only at the other angle is not skipped over: the neighbouring pair is reported as "not measurable" instead.
| Line | Step | Lower finish | Upper finish | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald | Flat to Matte @ 85° | 0–4 | 4–8 | touch at one value |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald | Matte to Satin @ 85° | 4–8 | 10–20 | 2 gloss units apart |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald | Satin to Semi-Gloss | 85° only | 60° only | not measurable: different angles |
| Benjamin Moore Aura | Matte to Eggshell @ 85° | 3–6 | 10–22 | 4 gloss units apart |
| Benjamin Moore Aura | Eggshell to Satin | 85° only | 60° only | not measurable: different angles |
| Benjamin Moore Aura | Satin to Semi-Gloss @ 60° | 28–38 | 50–60 | 12 gloss units apart |
| Behr Marquee | Matte to Eggshell @ 60° | 2–5 | 7–13 | 2 gloss units apart |
| Behr Marquee | Matte to Eggshell @ 85° | 2–5 | 16–22 | 11 gloss units apart |
| Behr Marquee | Eggshell to Satin @ 60° | 7–13 | 15–25 | 2 gloss units apart |
| Behr Marquee | Satin to Semi-Gloss @ 60° | 15–25 | 45–55 | 20 gloss units apart |
| Valspar Signature | Flat to Eggshell @ 85° | 0–7 | 12–22 | 5 gloss units apart |
| Valspar Signature | Eggshell to Satin @ 85° | 12–22 | 35–40 | 13 gloss units apart |
| Valspar Signature | Satin to Semi-Gloss @ 60° | 20–30 | 40–55 | 10 gloss units apart |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home | Flat to Matte @ 85° | 1–5 | 2–7 | share 3 units |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home | Matte to Satin @ 85° | 2–7 | 15–20 | 8 gloss units apart |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home | Satin to Semi-Gloss | 85° only | 60° only | not measurable: different angles |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select | Flat to Matte @ 85° | 1–4 | 3–5 | share 1 units |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select | Matte to Eggshell @ 85° | 3–5 | 15–22 | 10 gloss units apart |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select | Eggshell to Pearl | 85° only | 60° only | not measurable: different angles |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select | Pearl to Semi-Gloss @ 60° | 20–30 | 50–60 | 20 gloss units apart |
| Behr Premium Plus | Flat to Eggshell @ 60° | 0–5 | 7–12 | 2 gloss units apart |
| Behr Premium Plus | Flat to Eggshell @ 85° | 0–5 | 17–22 | 12 gloss units apart |
| Behr Premium Plus | Eggshell to Satin @ 60° | 7–12 | 15–25 | 3 gloss units apart |
| Behr Premium Plus | Satin to Semi-Gloss @ 60° | 15–25 | 45–55 | 20 gloss units apart |
| Valspar Ultra | Flat to Eggshell @ 85° | 0–6 | 10–20 | 4 gloss units apart |
| Valspar Ultra | Eggshell to Satin | 85° only | 60° only | not measurable: different angles |
| Valspar Ultra | Satin to Semi-Gloss @ 60° | 22–32 | 41–51 | 9 gloss units apart |
What the ladders show
- The biggest measured step is Satin to Semi-Gloss in Behr Marquee at 60° (20 units). The same 20-unit step appears in Behr's other line and in Benjamin Moore Regal Select (Pearl to Semi-Gloss): Semi-Gloss is published well above the other finishes in every line where the step can be measured.
- The tightest are ladders where neighbours overlap or touch: Sherwin-Williams Duration Home Flat–Matte (share 3 units); Benjamin Moore Regal Select Flat–Matte (share 1 unit); Sherwin-Williams Emerald Flat–Matte (touching). In the three lines that publish both Flat and Matte at 85°, the two ranges touch or overlap; there is no measurable gap between them.
- Behr's ladder is compressed at 60° and spread out at 85°. At 60°, Matte, Eggshell and Satin are 2 or 3 units apart in both Behr lines, then a 20-unit jump to Semi-Gloss. At 85°, Marquee's Matte to Eggshell step is 11 units, against 2 at 60°. The same two finishes sit close together on one scale and far apart on the other, which is why the angle matters as much as the name.
- "One step up" is not a fixed amount. Within the same brand, one step is a 2-unit gap in one place and 20 in another.
The steps nobody can measure
5 neighbouring pairs fall between two finishes published at different angles: Sherwin-Williams Emerald Satin to Semi-Gloss; Benjamin Moore Aura Eggshell to Satin; Sherwin-Williams Duration Home Satin to Semi-Gloss; Benjamin Moore Regal Select Eggshell to Pearl; Valspar Ultra Eggshell to Satin. Each is the place where a manufacturer switches from one angle to the other along its own ladder, and the manufacturer's sheet gives no way to read across. A converted figure would be a guess presented as a reading, so GlossAtlas shows the gap as a gap.
Using this
If a finish looks too glossy, the useful question is not "one name down" but "which published range is lower, and by how much". The comparison tool answers it for the same brand's other finishes too, and each brand page lists a line's ranges beside its source documents. Reading limits: these are specification ranges; they say nothing about how a colour or application changes perceived sheen.