Primitive Green (Behr MQ4-40)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Primitive Green (Behr MQ4-40) is a light, warm yellow from Behr: LRV 66.6, so it reflects about 67 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Primitive Green
Four Behr colors picked for Primitive Green 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 Primitive Green, 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 | Wild Lime | SW 9668 | 72 | 2.1 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Mellowed Ivory | 2149-50 | 64.5 | 0.8 | indistinguishable |
| Valspar | Plum Passion | 6007-5B | 65 | 1.6 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Misty Moor | 11-09 | 67 | 1.9 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr yellow colors nearest to Primitive Green (LRV 66.6 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Primitive Green
Darker than Primitive Green
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | MQ4-40 |
| Hex | #DED6AC |
| RGB | 222, 214, 172 |
| HSL | 50°, 43%, 77% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 66.6 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 85.3, -3.9, 21.8 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow |
| Temperature | warm |
| Color family | Yellow |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Primitive Green (Behr MQ4-40), published as #DED6AC
#CECCAB
#EFE0AB
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 Primitive Green (Behr MQ4-40)?
- Primitive Green has an LRV of 66.6 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Primitive Green is a light color.
- What is the closest match to Primitive Green in another brand?
- Mellowed Ivory (BM 2149-50) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 0.8 (indistinguishable).
- Is Primitive Green warm or cool?
- Behr lists Primitive Green as warm, with a Warm Yellow undertone. Its Lab b* value is 21.8; 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.