What is the Light Reflectance Value (LRV)?
LRV, or Light Reflectance Value, measures the amount of visible light that is reflected off a paint color, or conversely it represents the percentage of visible light that is absorbed by the color. We’ve all heard that white represents all colors and black represents no colors, and what this means is that pure white reflects all visible light and pure black absorbs all visible light. The light reflectance value is represented as a percentage with pure black being 0% and pure white being 100%.


Why is the LRV useful and how is it used by designers and building professionals? The LRV is used to determine how light a space will be given the color of the interior. The LRV helps designers understand how much lighting will be needed and how well lit the space will be.
Choosing colors with higher LRVs can translate to more efficient energy usage when trying to light a space.
However, this all depends on the source/amount of light in the room. You can paint a dungeon white and without proper lighting it won’t be very bright.
MyPerfectColor lists the LRV in the FAQ section on the color page of most colors on the website.
MyPerfectColor offers the largest selection of colors anywhere including difficult to match industry standard colors such as Pantone, RAL, Federal Standard and Munsell, matches of many powder coats including Tiger Drylac and IFS Coatings as well as matches of any major paint brands including Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr and much more.
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