Poetry Reading (Behr MQ5-17)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Poetry Reading (Behr MQ5-17) is a medium, cool blue from Behr: LRV 41.9, so it reflects about 42 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Poetry Reading
Four Behr colors picked for Poetry Reading by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper blue, 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 Poetry Reading, 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 | Awesome Violet | SW 6815 | 45 | 3.5 | noticeably different |
| Benjamin Moore | Riviera Azure | 822 | 44.8 | 2.2 | very close |
| Valspar | Precious Stone | 4002-5C | 44 | 2.0 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Easter Egg | 1166-4 | 40 | 1.6 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr blue colors nearest to Poetry Reading (LRV 41.9 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Poetry Reading
Darker than Poetry Reading
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | MQ5-17 |
| Hex | #9FAEC9 |
| RGB | 159, 174, 201 |
| HSL | 219°, 28%, 71% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 41.9 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 70.8, 0.6, -15.5 |
| Undertone | Cool Blue |
| Temperature | cool |
| Color family | Blue |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Poetry Reading (Behr MQ5-17), published as #9FAEC9
#8CA4C7
#B2B8C9
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 Poetry Reading (Behr MQ5-17)?
- Poetry Reading has an LRV of 41.9 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Poetry Reading is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Poetry Reading in another brand?
- Easter Egg (PPG 1166-4) from PPG Paints, at a deltaE of 1.6 (very close).
- Is Poetry Reading warm or cool?
- Behr lists Poetry Reading as cool, with a Cool Blue undertone. Its Lab b* value is -15.5; 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.