Universal Umber (Valspar 3003-9B)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Universal Umber (Valspar 3003-9B) is a deep, warm beige from Valspar: LRV 25, so it reflects about 25 percent of the light that hits it.
Colors that go with Universal Umber
Four Valspar colors picked for Universal Umber by this site's color math: a trim white, a deeper beige, a quiet contrast from another family, a dark accent. Valspar did not choose these pairings.
Closest match in every other brand
Each brand's closest color to Universal Umber, 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 | Mudslide | SW 9113 | 25 | 2.4 | noticeably different |
| Benjamin Moore | Woodacres | 1020 | 25.9 | 1.8 | very close |
| Behr | Sturdy Brown | MQ2-48 | 24.9 | 0.5 | indistinguishable |
| PPG Paints | Chocolate Moment | 1077-5 | 23 | 2.3 | noticeably different |
Lighter and darker in Valspar
The Valspar beige colors nearest to Universal Umber (LRV 25) by LRV.
Lighter than Universal Umber
Darker than Universal Umber
Color data
| Brand | Valspar |
|---|---|
| Color code | 3003-9B |
| Hex | #9C866F |
| RGB | 156, 134, 111 |
| HSL | 31°, 19%, 52% |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 25 |
| Lab L*, a*, b* | 57.3, 4.7, 15.5 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow |
| Temperature | warm |
| Color family | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Universal Umber (Valspar 3003-9B), published as #9C866F
#8D7D6E
#AC8F6E
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Similar shades from Valspar
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Common questions
- What is the LRV of Universal Umber (Valspar 3003-9B)?
- Universal Umber has an LRV of 25. LRV runs from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) and measures the share of light a surface reflects, so Universal Umber is a deep color.
- What is the closest match to Universal Umber in another brand?
- Sturdy Brown (Behr MQ2-48) from Behr, at a deltaE of 0.5 (indistinguishable).
- Is Universal Umber warm or cool?
- Valspar lists Universal Umber as warm, with a Warm Yellow undertone. Its Lab b* value is 15.5; 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.