What are Valspar Merlot undertones?
Merlot has a clear red undertone based on its position in the color space. We identify undertones by isolating the pure hue (separating it from lightness and saturation), which avoids distortions caused by tints, tones, and shades.
This method is generally more reliable than judging undertones on a white background.
HEX value:
#663F44
RGB code:
102, 63, 68
Is Valspar Merlot V078-6 cool or warm?
warm
cool
With a hue of 352°, this dark red reads warm on the HSL color wheel.
V078-6 Merlot HSL code: 352, 24%, 32%
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 Merlot
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 (Kelvins).
Use the slider to see how this dark red shade looks under different lighting:
4000K
Coordinating colors.
Colors that go with Valspar Merlot:
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
Darker shades
V078-6
Merlot
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 Merlot with a red hue, complementary colors are those with a green hue close to 172, such as Valspar Statue of Liberty and Sheer Elegance.
LRV of Merlot
Merlot has an LRV of 6.76% and refers to Dark colors which means that this color almost does not reflect 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 6.76%, 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. To copy the code, just click the icon to the right of it.
| Format | Code | |
|---|---|---|
| HEX | #663f44 |  |
| RGB Decimal | 102, 63, 68 | |
| RGB Percent | 40.00%, 24.71%, 26.67% | |
| HSV | Hue: 352° Saturation: 38.24% Value: 40.0% | |
| HSL | hsl(352, 24, 32) | |
| CMYK | Cyan: 0.0 Magenta: 38.24 Yellow: 33.33 Key: 60.0 | |
| YIQ | Y: 75.231 I: 21.633 Q: 9.806 | |
| XYZ | X: 8.301 Y: 6.798 Z: 6.342 | |
| CIE Lab | L:31.342 a:17.773 b:4.096 | |
| CIE Luv | L:31.342 u:24.022 v:1.976 | |
| Decimal | 6700868 | |
| Hunter Lab | 26.072, 11.201, 3.828 | |
Valspar V078-6 Merlot
Copy color code
Color equivalents
SW 0072
Deep Maroon
Sherwin Williams
RAL 340-4
RAL Effect
297
Preferenced Red
Farrow and Ball
MQ1-14
Twinberry
Behr
SW 6027
Cordovan
Sherwin Williams
7
Adventurer
Little Greene
1010-6
Stoic
Valspar
222
Brinjal
Farrow and Ball
1267
Ruby Dusk
Benjamin Moore
S 6020-R
NCS
S 6020-R20B
NCS
PPU1-14
Formal Maroon
Behr
CSP-445
Cascabel Chile
Benjamin Moore
Cherry Chocolate
Dulux
MQ1-49
Raspberry Truffle
Behr
S 7010-R10B
NCS
S 6020-R10B
NCS
Dark Garnet
Dulux