Balsam (Behr MQ4-15)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Balsam (Behr MQ4-15) is a deep, warm green from Behr: LRV 20.6, so it reflects about 21 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Balsam
Four Behr colors picked for Balsam by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper green, 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 Balsam, 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 | Argyle | SW 6747 | 20 | 3.7 | noticeably different |
| Benjamin Moore | Peridot | 594 | 20.7 | 2.6 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Sea Swell | 5008-10C | 23 | 4.4 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Leprechaun | 1228-6 | 22 | 2.3 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr green colors nearest to Balsam (LRV 20.6 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Balsam
Darker than Balsam
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | MQ4-15 |
| Hex | #008F66 |
| RGB | 0, 143, 102 |
| HSL | 163°, 100%, 28% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 20.6 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 52.5, -43.0, 12.8 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow |
| Temperature | warm |
| Color family | Green |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Balsam (Behr MQ4-15), published as #008F66
#008565
#329965
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 Balsam (Behr MQ4-15)?
- Balsam has an LRV of 20.6 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Balsam is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Balsam in another brand?
- Leprechaun (PPG 1228-6) from PPG Paints, at a deltaE of 2.3 (very close).
- Is Balsam warm or cool?
- Behr lists Balsam as warm, with a Warm Yellow undertone. Its Lab b* value is 12.8; 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.