Behr Cold Steel MQ5-20
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| Code: | MQ5-20 |
| Name: | Cold Steel |
| Brand: | Behr |
What color is Behr Cold Steel?
Behr Cold Steel MQ5-20 is a muted blue-gray with a cool, lightly smoky cast. Its mid-range depth gives walls noticeable color without making a room feel overly dark, while the soft gray content keeps the blue from reading bright or icy. In north-facing or low-light rooms, Cold Steel may appear deeper and more slate-like; brighter daylight can bring out its subdued blue tone. It suits bedrooms, home offices, and bathrooms, especially alongside crisp white trim, charcoal accents, pale oak, or brushed nickel hardware. Use it on full walls for a quiet backdrop or on cabinetry where a restrained blue-gray finish is wanted.
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What are Behr Cold Steel undertones?
Cold Steel is a midtone, very muted blue-gray. The HEX sample has a subtle blue bias, but its low chroma turns that hue into a neutral-looking color rather than a clear blue. Warm bulbs may gray the color down, while cool daylight usually makes its blue or teal direction clearer.
HEX value:
RGB code:
128, 143, 152
Is Behr Cold Steel cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 202°, this Blue leans cool, but it is near the neutral line and may feel warmer in certain lighting.
MQ5-20 Cold Steel HSL code: 202, 10%, 55%
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 Cold Steel
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 Blue shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Behr Cold Steel:
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
MQ5-20
Cold Steel
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 Cold Steel with a green hue, complementary colors are those with a red hue close to 22, such as Behr Autumn Ashes and Piano Brown.
LRV of Cold Steel
Cold Steel has an LRV of 26.22% and refers to Medium colors that reflect a lot of 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 26.22%, 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 | #808f98 |
| RGB Decimal | 128, 143, 152 |
| RGB Percent | 50.20%, 56.08%, 59.61% |
| HSV | Hue: 202° Saturation: 15.79% Value: 59.61% |
| HSL | hsl(202, 10, 55) |
| CMYK | Cyan: 15.79 Magenta: 5.92 Yellow: 0.0 Key: 40.39 |
| YIQ | Y: 139.541 I: -11.831 Q: -0.372 |
| XYZ | X: 24.39 Y: 26.501 Z: 33.527 |
| CIE Lab | L:58.509 a:-3.427 b:-6.591 |
| CIE Luv | L:58.509 u:-8.453 v:-9.014 |
| Decimal | 8425368 |
| Hunter Lab | 51.479, -5.516, -2.58 |
Color equivalents
1622
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Steele Blue
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4007-3C
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Cottage Door
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T681
Wet Seal
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1649
Polaris Blue
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M357
Blue Driftwood
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M339
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Norwegian Blue
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Bracing Blue
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