Authentic Brown (Behr MQ2-05A)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Authentic Brown (Behr MQ2-05A) is a very deep, warm brown from Behr: LRV 9.9, so it reflects about 10 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Authentic Brown
Three Behr colors picked for Authentic Brown by this site's color math: a trim white, 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 Authentic Brown, 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 | Dark Brown | SW 7520 | 9 | 1.3 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Rockies Brown | 2107-30 | 12.5 | 1.8 | very close |
| Valspar | Deep Walnut | 2004-9A | 11 | 2.0 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Caramelized Walnut | 1074-6 | 10 | 1.5 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr brown colors nearest to Authentic Brown (LRV 9.9 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Authentic Brown
Darker than Authentic Brown
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | MQ2-05A |
| Hex | #6B5446 |
| RGB | 107, 84, 70 |
| HSL | 23°, 21%, 35% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 9.9 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 37.7, 7.3, 11.8 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow-Red |
| Temperature | warm |
| Color family | Brown |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Authentic Brown (Behr MQ2-05A), published as #6B5446
#5D4B45
#795D45
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 Authentic Brown (Behr MQ2-05A)?
- Authentic Brown has an LRV of 9.9 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Authentic Brown is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Authentic Brown in another brand?
- Dark Brown (SW 7520) from Sherwin-Williams, at a deltaE of 1.3 (very close).
- Is Authentic Brown warm or cool?
- Behr lists Authentic Brown as warm, with a Warm Yellow-Red undertone. Its Lab b* value is 11.8; 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.