How to Use Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams Colors in SketchUp (Step by Step)

To use a real paint color in SketchUp, get the color's RGB values from a lookup tool, then enter them in SketchUp's material editor: open the Materials panel, create or edit a material, switch the color picker to RGB, and type the three values. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams both publish downloadable palettes for some software, but for day-to-day work, looking up the hex or RGB per color is faster. Here's the full workflow, plus how to keep colors from drifting between your model and the finished wall.

Your client approved Hale Navy for the island. Now you need Hale Navy in the SketchUp model, not "some navy." SketchUp doesn't know paint brands, but it speaks RGB fluently, and every paint color has a digital equivalent. The workflow takes about thirty seconds once you've done it twice.

Step 1: Get the RGB or hex for your paint color

SketchUp's material editor wants numbers, so start by looking up your color's digital values. Glintera's free paint color tool returns the hex and RGB for any Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, or Farrow & Ball color by name. For example:

Keep both notations handy. Hex pastes into many tools directly; RGB is what SketchUp's own picker asks for.

Step 2: Create the material in SketchUp

1. Open the Materials panel (Window → Materials on Windows; the paint bucket then the brick icon on Mac).

2. Click Create Material (the plus icon on Windows; on Mac, duplicate any color swatch to start a new one).

3. Name it after the real paint, like "BM HC-154 Hale Navy." Future you, three months from now, will be glad the model says exactly what to order.

4. In the color picker, switch the mode to RGB (Windows offers Picker dropdown → RGB; the Mac color panel has an RGB sliders mode, and recent versions accept hex directly).

5. Enter the three values, like 67, 75, 86 for Hale Navy.

6. Apply the material to your walls or cabinetry with the paint bucket.

That's it. The model now carries the actual specified color rather than an approximation you nudged by eye.

Step 3: Name materials so the spec survives the model

A practical habit that pays off: encode the brand and code into every material name. When a model travels to a colleague, a renderer, or back to you in six months, "BM HC-154 Hale Navy" is a specification. "Dark blue 2" is a guess. If a client meeting produces a change, rename the material when you change the color, so the model and the spec never drift apart.

What about the official brand palettes?

Both major brands publish digital color resources, and they're worth knowing about. Benjamin Moore offers downloadable palettes for SketchUp through its professional resources, and Sherwin-Williams publishes color data for design software including downloadable palettes with RGB and hex values. The catch is that they're buried, brand-specific, and overkill when you need exactly four colors for one model. For most projects, looking up each specified color takes less time than finding, downloading, and installing a palette file. Use the palettes if you live in one brand's catalog; use a lookup tool when your projects mix brands, which for most designers is every project.

Keeping render colors honest

Two things to know before the rendering goes to the client:

• Your render engine adds light. Enscape, V-Ray, and Lumion simulate sun, shadow, and bounce. The RGB you entered is the color in neutral conditions; the render shows it inhabiting a scene. That's a feature. It's also why the wall in the render won't match the chip held up to your monitor.

• The render is not a color proof. Use the model to communicate space, light, and relationships between colors. Confirm the colors themselves with physical samples in the actual room. If a client wants to approve color from the render alone, it's worth a sentence in your process about why samples still matter.

The goal isn't a render that's pixel-faithful to the fan deck. It's a model where every surface traces back to a real, orderable product, so the design that gets approved is the design that gets built.

Look up any paint color's hex and RGB

FAQ

How do I enter a hex code in SketchUp?

Recent SketchUp versions accept hex directly in the material color picker. If yours doesn't, convert the hex to RGB (any lookup tool shows both) and switch the picker to RGB mode: Picker dropdown on Windows, the sliders mode in the Mac color panel. Enter the three values and apply the material.

Where do I find the RGB values for Benjamin Moore colors?

Use a paint color lookup tool. Glintera's free tool returns hex and RGB for any Benjamin Moore color by name or number, alongside Sherwin-Williams and Farrow & Ball. Benjamin Moore also publishes downloadable palettes for some design software through its professional resources, which suit designers working exclusively in that catalog.

Why does my SketchUp render look different from the paint chip?

Because the render simulates lighting. Sun angle, shadows, and light bounce all act on the base color you entered, just as real light acts on real paint. The RGB value is correct; the render shows it in context. Treat renders as a communication tool for space and palette relationships, and confirm final colors with physical samples.

Should I use the brand's official SketchUp palette or enter colors manually?

If you specify from one brand constantly, the official palette saves time. If your projects mix Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Farrow & Ball, individual lookups are faster than managing three palette files. Either way, name each material with the brand and color code so the model doubles as a spec.

Can I match a color from a client's inspiration photo in SketchUp?

Yes. Eyedrop the photo to get a hex value, then run it through a reverse paint lookup to find the closest real paint colors. Enter the matched color's RGB in SketchUp rather than the raw sampled value, so the model shows something the client can actually buy.