Behr Basswood MQ2-46
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| Code: | MQ2-46 |
| Name: | Basswood |
| Brand: | Behr |
What color is Behr Basswood?
Behr Basswood MQ2-46 is a muted, mid-tone beige with a noticeable warm tan cast. Its #c9b196 value suggests soft sandy and lightly taupe undertones rather than a crisp cream or yellow beige. In bright daylight, Basswood can read as a pale natural wood tone, while lower or warmer lighting brings out its deeper biscuit-like warmth. It suits living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways where a grounded neutral is wanted without using gray. Pair it with off-white trim, weathered oak, linen upholstery, charcoal accents, or muted olive textiles for a layered, earthy interior.
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What are Behr Basswood undertones?
Basswood is a mid-light, muted caramel tan. The HEX sample leans yellow-orange; this describes its measurable digital hue direction, not a hidden paint pigment. Warm bulbs can make it look creamier or more golden, while cool daylight may mute that warmth and pull it closer to beige or greige.
HEX value:
RGB code:
201, 177, 150
Is Behr Basswood cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 32°, this Beige reads warm on the HSL color wheel.
MQ2-46 Basswood HSL code: 32, 32%, 69%
Hue - degree on a color wheel from 0 to 360. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue.
Saturation is expressed as a percentage. At 0%, it appears as a shade of grey, and at 100%, it is in full color.
Lightness is also a percentage value. 0% is black, and 100% is white.
How light temperature affects Basswood
Natural Lighting. During the day, natural light shifts from about 2000 K at sunrise/sunset to 5500–6500 K at noon.
In addition, natural-light temperature depends on its direction:
| Direction of sunlight | Visible temp. | Hue | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Cool | Bluish | All day |
| East | Warm | Yellow | Before noon |
| West | Warm | Orange-red | After noon |
| South | Warm | Orange-yellow | All day |
Artificial Lighting. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to their color temperature in Kelvins.
Use the slider to see how this Beige shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr Basswood:
Monochromatic color scheme
This scheme consists of various shades, tints, and tones of a single color. While it offers a perfect combination of hues, without accent décor it may become monotonous.
Lighter shades
MQ2-46
Basswood
Darker shades
Complementary color scheme
This color scheme is a combination of two shades that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The high contrast between these colors creates a vibrant and dynamic visual effect. For the color Basswood with a orange hue, complementary colors are those with a blue hue close to 212, such as Behr Icicles and Shaved Ice.
LRV of Basswood
Basswood has an LRV of 46.31% and refers to Light Medium colors that reflect half of the incident light. Why LRV is important?
Light Reflectance Value measures the amount of visible and usable light that reflects from a painted surface.
Simply put, the higher the LRV of a paint color, the brighter the room you will get.
The scale goes from 0% (absolute black, absorbing all light) to 100% (pure white, reflecting all light).
Act like a pro: When choosing paint with an LRV of 46.31%, pay attention to your bulbs' brightness. Light brightness is measured in lumens. The lower the paint's LRV, the higher lumen level you need. Every square foot of room needs at least 40 lumens. That means for a 200 ft2 living room you'll need about 8000 lumens of light – e.g., eight 1000 lm bulbs.
Color codes
We have collected almost every possible color code you could ever need.
Not sure what the difference between HEX and RGB is? We break down color models in plain language. Understanding color models
| Format | Code |
|---|---|
| HEX | #c9b196 |
| RGB Decimal | 201, 177, 150 |
| RGB Percent | 78.82%, 69.41%, 58.82% |
| HSV | Hue: 32° Saturation: 25.37% Value: 78.82% |
| HSL | hsl(32, 32, 69) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 11.94 Yellow: 25.37 Key: 21.18 |
| YIQ | Y: 181.098 I: 22.978 Q: -3.326 |
| XYZ | X: 45.314 Y: 46.065 Z: 35.35 |
| CIE Lab | L:73.588 a:4.449 b:17.002 |
| CIE Luv | L:73.588 u:16.591 v:22.812 |
| Decimal | 13218198 |
| Hunter Lab | 67.871, 0.401, 16.629 |
Color equivalents
P012
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AF-130
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3003-10A
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CW-190
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8004-18C
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Palm Desert Tan
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M129
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Fairway Oaks
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Macadamia
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