Old Amethyst (Behr MQ5-03)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Old Amethyst (Behr MQ5-03) is a deep, neutral purple from Behr: LRV 24.2, so it reflects about 24 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Old Amethyst
Four Behr colors picked for Old Amethyst by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper purple, 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 Old Amethyst, 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 | Gris Morado | SW 9156 | 26 | 2.7 | noticeably different |
| Benjamin Moore | Irises | 1440 | 26.2 | 4.1 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Cinder Fox | 4001-2B | 22 | 3.8 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Flannel Pajamas | 1043-5 | 27 | 2.8 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr purple colors nearest to Old Amethyst (LRV 24.2 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Old Amethyst
Darker than Old Amethyst
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | MQ5-03 |
| Hex | #87868F |
| RGB | 135, 134, 143 |
| HSL | 247°, 4%, 54% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 24.2 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 56.3, 2.2, -4.7 |
| Undertone | Cool |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Purple |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Old Amethyst (Behr MQ5-03), published as #87868F
#767D8D
#988F8F
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 Old Amethyst (Behr MQ5-03)?
- Old Amethyst has an LRV of 24.2 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Old Amethyst is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Old Amethyst in another brand?
- Gris Morado (SW 9156) from Sherwin-Williams, at a deltaE of 2.7 (noticeably different).
- Is Old Amethyst warm or cool?
- Behr lists Old Amethyst as neutral, with a Cool undertone. Its Lab b* value is -4.7; 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.