Water Surface (Behr QE-43)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Water Surface (Behr QE-43) is a medium, neutral green from Behr: LRV 48.3, so it reflects about 48 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Water Surface
Four Behr colors picked for Water Surface 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 Water Surface, 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 | Fresh Eucalyptus | SW 9658 | 48 | 2.1 | very close |
| Benjamin Moore | Rhine River | 689 | 47.1 | 1.2 | very close |
| Valspar | April Thicket | 5003-3C | 49 | 2.2 | very close |
| PPG Paints | Blue Willow | 1145-4 | 47 | 2.1 | very close |
Lighter and darker in Behr
The Behr green colors nearest to Water Surface (LRV 48.3 (estimated)) by LRV.
Lighter than Water Surface
Darker than Water Surface
Color data
| Brand | Behr |
|---|---|
| Color code | QE-43 |
| Hex | #A9BDB8 |
| RGB | 169, 189, 184 |
| HSL | 165°, 13%, 70% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 48.3 (estimated from the hex) |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 75.0, -7.8, 0.2 |
| Undertone | Cool Green |
| Temperature | neutral |
| Color family | Green |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Water Surface (Behr QE-43), published as #A9BDB8
#97B3B6
#BBC7B8
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Behr
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Common questions
- What is the LRV of Water Surface (Behr QE-43)?
- Water Surface has an LRV of 48.3 (estimated from its hex value). LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Water Surface is a medium color.
- What is the closest match to Water Surface in another brand?
- Rhine River (BM 689) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 1.2 (very close).
- Is Water Surface warm or cool?
- Behr lists Water Surface as neutral, with a Cool Green undertone. Its Lab b* value is 0.2; 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.