What Is LRV? Light Reflectance Value Explained

Look closely at a paint chip or a color's online listing and you will often see a number labeled LRV. It is one of the most useful and least understood facts about a paint color. Once you know how to read it, you can predict how light or dark a color will feel before you ever open a can.

What LRV means

LRV stands for light reflectance value. It describes how much visible light a color reflects, on a scale from 0 to 100.

• 0 would be a perfect black that absorbs all light.
• 100 would be a perfect white that reflects all light.

Real paints fall between those extremes. No paint reaches either end.

Typical ranges

These are rough bands, useful as a mental map rather than strict rules:

• High LRV (roughly 70 and up): whites, off-whites and very pale colors. They bounce a lot of light around a room.
• Middle LRV (roughly 30 to 70): light-to-mid tones, including many greiges, soft grays and muted colors. These are the everyday wall colors of most homes.
• Low LRV (below about 30): deep and dark colors, such as navy, charcoal, forest green and rich reds. They absorb much of the light that hits them.

The scale does not feel linear to the eye. A color at 50 does not look like it is halfway between black and white; it often reads lighter than you expect. That is why comparing two LRVs is more useful than judging one number on its own.

How to use LRV

Predict how a room will feel. In a small or dim room, a color with a higher LRV helps it feel brighter. In a room with lots of sun, a lower LRV can add depth without feeling dark.

Plan contrast. The gap between two LRVs tells you how much contrast you will get. Trim and walls with similar LRVs look soft and blended. A big gap, such as white trim against a dark wall, looks crisp and graphic. This matters for accessibility too, since clear contrast helps people with low vision see edges, steps and doorways.

Compare look-alikes. When two colors look nearly identical on screen, their LRVs tell you which one will read lighter on the wall.

Think about exteriors. Dark colors with low LRVs absorb more sunlight and get hotter. Some siding makers limit how dark you can paint their products for that reason, so check before choosing a deep color for vinyl or composite siding.

Many color listings in the Paintrz color book include LRV, which makes it easy to filter a shortlist by how light you want it to be.

What LRV does not tell you

• It ignores hue and undertone. A blue and a beige can share the same LRV and look nothing alike.
• It ignores sheen. A glossy finish reflects light differently from a matte one, even in the same color.
• It describes the paint, not your room. The amount and color of light you have still changes what you see.
• Values vary by source. Different brands and databases may list slightly different numbers for similar colors, so treat LRV as a guide rather than a precise measurement.

Putting it together

1. Decide roughly how light you want the room to feel.
2. Filter your options to that LRV band.
3. Choose among them by hue and undertone.
4. Check contrast with trim and adjoining rooms using the LRV gap.
5. Confirm with samples, or preview on a photo of your room with the render tool first.

The takeaway

LRV tells you how light or dark a color will feel and how much contrast two colors will have. It does not tell you undertone or how your specific light will change the color. Use it to narrow the field, then use samples to choose.