Is the same sheen name the closest match?
Everyone switching paint brands asks it: "If I always buy Satin, do I buy Satin at the new brand?" The dataset can answer that with counts instead of anecdotes. For every finish in GlossAtlas and every other brand, we ran the same matching rule the comparison tool uses and asked one thing: is the finish with the same name among the closest published ranges? That is 99 readings (each finish against each of the three other brands).
How each reading is classified
Each reading has one of four outcomes. The engine's own ranking decides what is "closest": a larger overlap fraction (shared width divided by the narrower range) beats a smaller one, and a smaller gap beats a larger gap, always at one angle (formulas).
- Same name among the closest: a finish with the same sheen name is tied for best or best. (68 readings)
- Closer elsewhere: the brand has a same-named finish that can be compared at that angle, but a differently named finish is closer. (8)
- Same name cannot be compared: the brand has a same-named finish, but it cannot be set beside the starting finish at the angle the reading was made at (usually because the two were published at different angles). (9)
- No same name: the other brand has no finish with this name in the dataset (for instance Pearl exists only at Benjamin Moore). (14)
Outcome by sheen name
| Starting name | Readings | Same name among closest | Closer elsewhere | Same name not comparable | No same name | Same name shares a span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | 18 | 18 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Matte | 15 | 10 (67%) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| Eggshell | 18 | 12 (67%) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| Pearl | 3 | 0 (0%) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Satin | 21 | 6 (29%) | 6 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Semi-Gloss | 24 | 22 (92%) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| All names | 99 | 68 (69%) | 8 | 9 | 14 | 63 |
The last column is stricter than "among the closest": it counts readings where a same-named finish actually shares a stretch of gloss values with the starting finish. Semi-Gloss shows the difference: the same name is almost always the closest option, yet in 6 of those readings the closest same-named range still does not touch the starting one, because the brands' Semi-Gloss figures sit a few units apart.
Satin is where the name stops working
Flat, Matte and Semi-Gloss sit at the ends of the ladder, where a name has a narrow neighbourhood of gloss values to cover. Satin sits in the middle, where brands choose different angles for it and place it differently (see which names differ most). Of the 21 Satin readings, 9 cannot be compared with the other brand's Satin at the angle used (8 of them because one brand published Satin at 60° and the other at 85°, with no shared angle), and 6 have a comparable Satin that a different name beats.
| Starting finish | Other brand | Why the name fails | Closest published range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behr Marquee Satin 15–25 @ 60° | Benjamin Moore | a differently named finish is closer at 60° | Regal Select Pearl 20–30 @ 60° |
| Behr Marquee Satin 15–25 @ 60° | Sherwin-Williams | its Satin is published at the other angle (Emerald, Duration Home) | Duration Home Flat 0–5 (10 gloss units flatter); Emerald Matte 0–5 (10 gloss units flatter); Emerald Semi-Gloss 35–45 (10 gloss units glossier); Duration Home Semi-Gloss 35–45 (10 gloss units glossier) @ 60° |
| Behr Premium Plus Satin 15–25 @ 60° | Benjamin Moore | a differently named finish is closer at 60° | Regal Select Pearl 20–30 @ 60° |
| Behr Premium Plus Satin 15–25 @ 60° | Sherwin-Williams | its Satin is published at the other angle (Emerald, Duration Home) | Duration Home Flat 0–5 (10 gloss units flatter); Emerald Matte 0–5 (10 gloss units flatter); Emerald Semi-Gloss 35–45 (10 gloss units glossier); Duration Home Semi-Gloss 35–45 (10 gloss units glossier) @ 60° |
| Benjamin Moore Aura Satin 28–38 @ 60° | Sherwin-Williams | its Satin is published at the other angle (Emerald, Duration Home) | Emerald Semi-Gloss 35–45; Duration Home Semi-Gloss 35–45 @ 60° |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home Satin 15–20 @ 85° | Behr | its Satin is published at the other angle (Marquee, Premium Plus) | Marquee Eggshell 16–22 @ 85° |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home Satin 15–20 @ 85° | Benjamin Moore | its Satin is published at the other angle (Aura) | Regal Select Eggshell 15–22; Aura Eggshell 10–22 @ 85° |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home Satin 15–20 @ 85° | Valspar | a differently named finish is closer at 85° | Signature Eggshell 12–22; Ultra Eggshell 10–20 @ 85° |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald Satin 10–20 @ 85° | Behr | its Satin is published at the other angle (Marquee, Premium Plus) | Marquee Eggshell 16–22 @ 85° |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald Satin 10–20 @ 85° | Benjamin Moore | its Satin is published at the other angle (Aura) | Aura Eggshell 10–22 @ 85° |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald Satin 10–20 @ 85° | Valspar | a differently named finish is closer at 85° | Ultra Eggshell 10–20 @ 85° |
| Valspar Signature Satin 20–30 @ 60° / 35–40 @ 85° | Benjamin Moore | a differently named finish is closer at 60° | Regal Select Pearl 20–30 @ 60° |
| Valspar Signature Satin 20–30 @ 60° / 35–40 @ 85° | Sherwin-Williams | its Satin (Emerald, Duration Home) can be compared only at the other angle | Emerald Semi-Gloss 35–45 (5 gloss units glossier); Duration Home Semi-Gloss 35–45 (5 gloss units glossier) @ 60° |
| Valspar Ultra Satin 22–32 @ 60° | Benjamin Moore | a differently named finish is closer at 60° | Regal Select Pearl 20–30 @ 60° |
| Valspar Ultra Satin 22–32 @ 60° | Sherwin-Williams | its Satin is published at the other angle (Emerald, Duration Home) | Emerald Semi-Gloss 35–45 (3 gloss units glossier); Duration Home Semi-Gloss 35–45 (3 gloss units glossier) @ 60° |
Which different names actually overlap
A second way to ask the same question: take every same-angle comparison between two finishes of different brands (309 of them, counting a finish pair once per shared angle) and see how often their ranges share a span. Two finishes with the same name overlap in 59 of 71 comparisons (83%). Two finishes with different names overlap in 44 of 238 (18%). Those 44 cross-name overlaps are not random:
| Name pair | Same-angle comparisons | Sharing a span |
|---|---|---|
| Pearl with Satin | 4 | 4 (100%) |
| Flat with Matte | 27 | 26 (96%) |
| Eggshell with Satin | 22 | 12 (55%) |
| Satin with Semi-Gloss | 30 | 2 (7%) |
Everything not listed never overlaps in this dataset:Flat–Eggshell, Flat–Pearl, Flat–Satin, Flat–Semi-Gloss, Matte–Eggshell, Matte–Pearl, Matte–Satin, Matte–Semi-Gloss, Eggshell–Pearl, Eggshell–Semi-Gloss, Pearl–Semi-Gloss. So the ladder is real at a distance (a Flat is never an Eggshell) and blurry between neighbours. Eggshell–Satin is the clearest blur: a different-name pair that overlaps in 12 of 22 same-angle comparisons.
What this does and does not show
- It describes this dataset, not the whole industry. 33 records from four brands and eight interior lines. A fifth brand could change a rate.
- Ties are common. In 59 of 99 readings the closest set holds more than one finish, for example because a brand's two lines publish the same range, or because several ranges tie on the engine's ranking. "Among the closest" counts a same-named finish in a tied set; it does not claim it is the single best.
- Lines are counted separately. A brand with two lines gives two candidates, which makes it a little easier for the same name to appear among the closest.
- "Closest" is a statement about published numbers. It is not a statement that two finishes look the same. See what published ranges can and cannot tell you.
What to do with it
At the flat end and the gloss end, starting with the same name is a reasonable first move; check it in the comparison tool anyway, because the shared span can be thin. In the middle of the ladder (Eggshell, Satin, Pearl) do not rely on the name: look up both ranges at the same angle. The worked examples show the process: Emerald Satin to Benjamin Moore and Marquee Satin to Sherwin-Williams.