Understated (Behr BNC-02)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Understated (Behr BNC-02) is a medium, warm greige from Behr: LRV 59.4, so it reflects about 59 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Understated
Four Behr colors picked for Understated by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper greige, 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 Understated, 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 | Symmetry | SW 9601 | 61 | 0.7 | indistinguishable |
| Benjamin Moore | Litchfield Gray | HC-78 | 58.7 | 0.5 | indistinguishable |
| Valspar | Desert Fortress | 2008-10B | 62 | 1.4 | very close |
| PPG Paints | In The Buff | 1019-2 | 61 | 1.1 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr greige colors nearest to Understated (LRV 59.4 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Understated
Darker than Understated
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | BNC-02 |
| Hex | #D4C9BB |
| RGB | 212, 201, 187 |
| HSL | 34°, 23%, 78% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 59.4 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 81.5, 1.5, 8.4 |
| Undertone | Warm |
| Temperature | warm |
| Color family | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Understated (Behr BNC-02), published as #D4C9BB
#C3BFB9
#E5D3BB
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Behr
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Common questions
- What is the LRV of Understated (Behr BNC-02)?
- Understated has an LRV of 59.4 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Understated is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Understated in another brand?
- Litchfield Gray (BM HC-78) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 0.5 (indistinguishable).
- Is Understated warm or cool?
- Behr lists Understated as warm, with a Warm undertone. Its Lab b* value is 8.4; 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.