Which sheen names differ most between brands?
A sheen name is supposed to tell you roughly how glossy a paint is. This page measures how well each name does that across brands: for every name, at every angle where at least two brands publish a figure, how far apart are the published ranges?
How "spread" is measured
For one sheen name at one angle, take every published range (a brand with two lines contributes two). The midpoint of a range is the average of its two ends. The midpoint spread is the highest midpoint minus the lowest. It is a descriptive summary of what was published, not a gloss value anyone measured. Next to it the table shows the plain facts: the lowest and highest numbers printed, how many cross-brand pairs share a span, and the widest gap between two ranges that do not. Ranges at 60° and 85° are never mixed: each row is one angle. Formulas: methodology.
| Name @ angle | Brands | Published values (lowest–highest) | Midpoint spread | Cross-brand pairs sharing a span | Widest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satin @ 85° | 2 | 10–40 | 22.5 | 0 of 2 | 15 gloss units |
| Semi-Gloss @ 60° | 4 | 35–60 | 15 | 16 of 24 | 5 gloss units |
| Satin @ 60° | 3 | 15–38 | 13 | 6 of 8 | 3 gloss units |
| Eggshell @ 85° | 3 | 10–22 | 4.5 | 12 of 12 | none |
| Matte @ 85° | 3 | 2–8 | 2.5 | 8 of 8 | none |
| Flat @ 85° | 4 | 0–7 | 1.5 | 13 of 13 | none |
| Matte @ 60° | 2 | 0–5 | 1 | 1 of 1 | none |
| Flat @ 60° | 3 | 0–5 | 0 | 3 of 3 | none |
Three names, drawn out
Satin at 85°: the widest spread, on the thinnest evidence
Only 2 brands publish Satin at 85°: Sherwin-Williams (Emerald 10–20, Duration Home 15–20) and Valspar (Signature 35–40). None of the 2 cross-brand pairs share a span; they are separated by 15 gloss units. That is a striking disagreement, but it comes from two brands, so treat it as a clear example rather than a rate. Benjamin Moore and Behr publish Satin at 60° instead, and so cannot be placed on this scale at all (see how much of the aisle can be compared).
Satin at 60°: three brands, three different places
Behr (Marquee 15–25, Premium Plus 15–25) and Valspar (Signature 20–30, Ultra 22–32) overlap; Benjamin Moore (Aura 28–38) sits above Behr's range with a gap of 3 gloss units and shares only a few units with Valspar's. The midpoint spread is 13 gloss units, and 6 of the 8 cross-brand pairs share a span. In practice: a Behr Satin and a Valspar Satin are close on paper; a Benjamin Moore Satin is a step glossier than Behr's.
Semi-Gloss at 60°: four brands, about 25 units of published range
Four brands, 8 ranges, midpoint spread 15. 16 of 24 cross-brand pairs share a span. The rest are Sherwin-Williams (Emerald 35–45, Duration Home 35–45) against Behr (Marquee 45–55, Premium Plus 45–55), where the ranges only touch, and against Benjamin Moore (Aura 50–60, Regal Select 50–60), separated by 5 gloss units. Valspar's wider ranges (Signature 40–55, Ultra 41–51) overlap everything, which is a property of how wide they are as much as of where they sit.
Why the flat end agrees
Flat, Matte and Eggshell ranges are narrow (median width 3 to 6.5 gloss units) and cluster near the bottom of the scale, so even brands that disagree about the name end up overlapping. Satin and Semi-Gloss ranges are wider (median 10 units) and start from values that differ by brand. A wider range is both harder to match and easier to overlap, which is why a "strong overlap" needs a careful reading (see the limits of overlap).
What to take from it
- If you buy Flat, Matte or Eggshell, the brand matters little on the numbers; the name is a fair guide.
- If you buy Satin or Semi-Gloss, look at the actual range. In this dataset Satin's midpoint spread is 13 gloss units at 60° and 22.5 at 85°.
- A bigger spread means the name is a weaker proxy for gloss, not that any brand is "wrong": each brand defines its own ladder.