Positive Red (SW 6871)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Positive Red (SW 6871) is a very deep, warm red from Sherwin-Williams: LRV 11, so it reflects about 11 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Positive Red
Four Sherwin-Williams colors picked for Positive Red by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper red, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Sherwin-Williams did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Positive Red, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Moore | Exotic Red | 2086-10 | 11.9 | 1.3 | very close |
| Behr | Indiscreet | UL110-6 | 12.2 | 2.6 | noticeably different |
| Valspar | Classic Red | 1009-2 | 12 | 2.6 | noticeably different |
| PPG Paints | Red Gumball | 1187-7 | 12 | 2.6 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Sherwin-Williams
The Sherwin-Williams red colors nearest to Positive Red (LRV 11) by LRV.
Lighter than Positive Red
Darker than Positive Red
Color data
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams |
|---|---|
| Color code | SW 6871 |
| Hex | #AD2C34 |
| RGB | 173, 44, 52 |
| HSL | 356°, 59%, 43% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 11 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 39.5, 52.0, 27.2 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow-Red |
| Temperature | warm |
| Color family | Red |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Positive Red (SW 6871), published as #AD2C34
#9F2233
#BB3633
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Sherwin-Williams
More from Sherwin-Williams
Common questions
- What is the LRV of Positive Red (SW 6871)?
- Positive Red has an LRV of 11. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Positive Red is a very deep color.
- What is the closest match to Positive Red in another brand?
- Exotic Red (BM 2086-10) from Benjamin Moore, at a deltaE of 1.3 (very close).
- Is Positive Red warm or cool?
- Sherwin-Williams lists Positive Red as warm, with a Warm Yellow-Red undertone. Its Lab b* value is 27.2; a higher b* is warmer and yellower, a lower one cooler and bluer.
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). 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.