Optimist Gold (Behr BIC-43)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Optimist Gold (Behr BIC-43) is a medium, warm yellow from Behr: LRV 47, so it reflects about 47 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Optimist Gold
Four Behr colors picked for Optimist Gold by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper yellow, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Behr did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Optimist Gold, ranked by CIEDE2000 (deltaE): under 1.0 is indistinguishable, 1.0 to 2.3 very close, 2.3 to 5 noticeably different, over 5 clearly different.
| Brand | Closest color | Code | LRV | deltaE | How close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | Yarrow | SW 6669 | 48 | 2.1 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Pan for Gold | 181 | 47.6 | 2.2 | very close |
| Valspar | Caramel Honey | 3003-3B | 46 | 1.5 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Brass Mesh | 1209-6 | 45 | 1.9 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr yellow colors nearest to Optimist Gold (LRV 47 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Optimist Gold
Darker than Optimist Gold
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | BIC-43 |
| Hex | #E9AB51 |
| RGB | 233, 171, 81 |
| HSL | 36°, 78%, 62% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 47 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 74.2, 13.8, 54.0 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow-Red |
| Temperature | warm |
| Color family | Yellow |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Optimist Gold (Behr BIC-43), published as #E9AB51
#DAA151
#F8B54E
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Behr
More from Behr
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Optimist Gold (Behr BIC-43)?
- Optimist Gold has an LRV of 47 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Optimist Gold is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Optimist Gold in another brand?
- Caramel Honey (Valspar 3003-3B) from Valspar, at a deltaE of 1.5 (very close).
- Is Optimist Gold warm or cool?
- Behr lists Optimist Gold as warm, with a Warm Yellow-Red undertone. Its Lab b* value is 54.0; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); LRV is not published by Behr for this color and is estimated here from the color's own hex value. Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.