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    Paint Light Reflectance Value: What LRV Means and How to Specify It

    By Faura ·

    Paint Light Reflectance Value: What LRV Means and How to Specify It

    Light reflectance value (LRV) is a number from 0 to 100 that shows how much visible light a painted surface reflects. Zero is a theoretical perfect black that absorbs everything, and 100 a perfect white that reflects everything. Real paints sit between the two, so LRV is the clearest single guide to how light or heavy a colour will feel once it covers a room. For a designer or architect it does two jobs: it predicts brightness, and it lets you plan visual contrast between surfaces.

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    TL;DR

    • LRV is the percentage of visible light a surface reflects, from 0 (black) to 100 (white). Higher means lighter on the wall.
    • In the UK, laboratory LRVs follow BS 8493, so figures from different manufacturers can be compared on one basis.
    • LRV says nothing about undertone or saturation, so use it to narrow a shortlist, then check samples in the actual room.
    • For accessibility, UK guidance generally looks for a difference of at least 30 LRV points between surfaces that must stand apart, such as door and wall.
    • Find the number on the manufacturer’s own colour page or technical data, not from a screen.

    Table of Contents

    What LRV means in paint

    Paint produces no light of its own. What you see on a wall is the light from windows and lamps that the surface sends back. LRV measures that return, weighted to the way the human eye responds to light.

    The measurement is standardised in the UK. BS 8493:2008+A1:2010 specifies the test method for the LRV of different surfaces and defines LRV as the proportion of visible light reflected by a surface compared with the sensitivity of the human eye. Before it was published, two methods were in common use, the CIE L value and the CIE Y value, which caused confusion. The standard adopted CIE Y as the single method across industries.

    In practice, a spectrophotometer reads a flat, dried sample of the coating under standard daylight (illuminant D65) with the 10° observer, and reports the CIE Y value. The result goes into a test report.

    The standard covers opaque paint coatings and paint systems, as well as other opaque materials such as carpet and finished metals. That is why the same number can sit on a paint card, a flooring sample and a door finish and still mean the same thing.

    How the 0 to 100 scale works

    A useful way to read the scale is in bands. Many guides use rough ranges: under 20 is dark, 20 to 50 midrange, 50 to 80 light and above 80 white. These are rules of thumb, not standards, and you should treat them as orientation rather than a specification.

    Some UK manufacturers build the figure into their notation:

    Two points about the scale are easy to miss. First, no paint is truly 0 or 100. Cameron Colours reports that calculated LRVs across its current palette run from 3 to 95. Second, surface matters: dark, matt or textured surfaces absorb more light and have low values, while light, glossy, smooth ones reflect more.

    What LRV does to a room

    Higher-LRV colours return more daylight and lamp light, so the room feels brighter and more open. Lower-LRV colours absorb more, so walls read deeper and the space feels more enveloping. The effect counts most where light is scarce, such as north-facing rooms, hallways and small rooms with one window.

    That is familiar territory in London: lower-ground floors, mansion-block hallways, light wells and rooms with a single sash window facing a courtyard. A pale colour with a good LRV will help in those rooms. It will not turn them into south-facing ones, so the lighting scheme still has to do its share. Our lighting specification basics cover how the two decisions work together.

    What LRV does not tell you

    The number describes lightness and nothing else. Three limits matter on a specification:

    So the number is a filter, not a verdict. It stops you putting two “pale” colours side by side that turn out very different in weight, but it cannot choose between them.

    Where to find the LRV for a paint colour

    LRV is measured from a physical painted surface, so no app or screen can calculate it for you. Of 12 brands assessed by one colour-data site, 5 publish LRV on their own colour pages, and the manufacturer’s page is where the authoritative figure stays current when a catalogue is revised.

    A practical order of search:

    1. The manufacturer’s colour page or technical data sheet. Some list it beside the RGB values, as Porter’s Paints does for its colours.
    2. The colour notation itself, where the brand uses one, as with the SCAN code above.
    3. The manufacturer’s technical team, in writing, if the figure is not published. Keep the reply on the project file.

    Check how the figure was obtained. Some suppliers publish laboratory values to BS 8493, others calculate them. Cameron Colours, for example, states that its published figures are calculated from the colour’s measured CIELAB lightness rather than laboratory-tested. Both are legitimate, but for an accessibility-driven specification you should record which kind you hold.

    Does tinting change the LRV?

    Yes, in the sense that matters: LRV belongs to a finished colour, so a different recipe is a different colour with its own value. A shade lightened or darkened from a published colour should not be assumed to carry the original number. Where the value will be relied on, such as a contrast calculation, ask the manufacturer for the figure for the exact colour and finish being supplied, rather than adjusting the published number by estimate.

    Using LRV when you choose and combine colours

    Compare before you sample

    Put the LRVs of your shortlist side by side. The higher number will feel lighter on the wall, even when two shades look near-identical on a screen. That quickly removes candidates that would make a small room feel heavier than the brief allows.

    Then test. Painted boards or large samples go on the walls of the actual room, viewed in daylight and under the evening lamps. Colour reads differently under warm and cool sources, and the lighting you specify belongs in that check. If you present finish boards to clients, our guide to presenting finishes to clients sets out how to show them clearly. For a wider view of coatings, see the finishes and coatings guide.

    Deep colours are not a mistake

    A low LRV does not mean a colour will look “too much”. Deep colours work in rooms that are used mostly in the evening, and in rooms where enclosure is the intention. The skill is in matching the value to the use of the room and the light available, not in avoiding low numbers.

    Plan the relationship between surfaces

    LRV is most useful when you set one surface against another. Walls against ceilings, joinery against walls, a feature colour against a pale field: the gap in points tells you how distinct they will look, and a very small gap tells you they will merge.

    LRV and visual contrast in UK guidance

    For commercial, residential-development and care projects, contrast is not only a matter of taste. UK guidance uses LRV differences to define it.

    Annex B of BS 8300-2:2018 says that adjacent objects where visual contrast is required should generally differ by 30 LRV points or more. A difference of 20 points may be acceptable for large areas or where room light intensity is above 200 lux. The same source adds that factors such as whether objects are two- or three-dimensional, shiny or matt, metallic or non-metallic also count, and that a door handle against a door may be acceptable with only 15 points.

    The Gradus guidance puts the rule plainly: at least a 30 point difference, not 30%. It also notes that Approved Documents M and K define “contrast visually” as a difference in LRV of more than 30 points between two surfaces. Dawn Scott, writing in Architecture Today, describes the Equality Act 2010 as the legal framework for inclusive design, with Approved Document M and BS 8300-2:2018 guiding accessible buildings.

    Why it works: around 95% of people registered blind keep some residual sight, often as sensitivity to contrast, light and shade. Good contrast between door leaves and walls, or handrails and surrounding surfaces, helps with confident navigation.

    A worked example: a wall at LRV 70 and a door at LRV 35 give a 35-point difference, which clears the 30-point guide. A wall at 70 and a door at 50 give 20 points, which is only acceptable in the situations the standard describes. Always check the guidance current for your project and building type, and confirm the requirement with the building control body or your accessibility consultant.

    LRV examples compared with the 30-point guide

    Contrast does not need loud colour

    Strong contrast does not require bright or saturated colours. Dawn Scott explains that designers can use LRVs to reach the recommended contrast between critical surfaces while choosing colours that feel soft, natural and domestic. A deep, muted green door against a pale warm wall can meet the guide without looking institutional.

    Muted green door beside a pale warm wall

    Mind the sheen on critical surfaces

    Project Rainbow, a Reading University study with RNIB, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and ICI Paints, found that highly reflective shiny surfaces on critical surfaces can confuse visually impaired and fully sighted people alike. Matt or mid-sheen finishes are recommended so that the colour difference can do its work. Specify the finish alongside the colour and keep the LRV for that finish on record.

    Our perspective

    LRV is most valuable when it is checked early and in the room. A number on a card narrows the field. It does not replace seeing the finish boards, the stone, the timber and the paint together under real light.

    That is why we built the residency as a working London base for trade. Across two floors of finished interiors you can see how lighting, surfaces, textiles, hardware and paint behave beside one another, and the room can be dressed to the project when you present a scheme to your client.

    Specification gaps usually appear between categories: a pale wall, a stone with a warm cast, a door with a bright metal handle. Having the samples, technical files and materials library in one place means those relationships can be judged together, and your technical questions can go to one team.

    Trade terms are agreed individually with each approved trade account.

    Faura Editorial

    Specifying paint with the rest of the scheme

    Paint is rarely chosen alone. Walls meet natural stone, tile, joinery and metalwork, and the LRV of each sets how the whole room reads. If you are building a palette around stone, tiles and finishes, compare the light reflectance of the paint against the surfaces it will sit beside, and ask each manufacturer for its data for the exact finish.

    For lighting, the same logic applies in reverse. A dark, low-LRV room absorbs more of the light you provide, so the lamp output and layout need to be planned with the wall colour in mind. Our lighting showroom shows decorative and architectural fittings in finished interiors, so you can judge them against surfaces rather than in isolation.

    See the finishes together at Faura

    Faura is a trade-only showroom and residency in Westminster, open by appointment Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00. You can specify from over 200 brands across furniture, lighting, stone and surfaces, bathrooms, textiles, paint and architectural hardware, with samples and technical files to hand. We also handle procurement, logistics and delivery: one order, one invoice. Architects and developers can read about specification support and FF&E procurement, and designers can see how the residency and trade account work. To start, request trade access.

    FAQ

    What is a good LRV for paint?

    There is no single good value, because it depends on the room’s light and the effect you want. As a rough guide, colours around 70 to 90 are usually described as high LRV and read as light and open, while single-digit values read as very dark. For accessibility, what counts is the difference in points between adjoining surfaces, not either value alone.

    Does the same colour have the same LRV in matt and gloss?

    Published LRV is measured on a flat, no-gloss surface, so it describes the colour rather than the finish. A glossier finish reflects more light at the surface and can look lighter in the room. For critical surfaces, ask the manufacturer which finish the stated value applies to.

    Can I rely on a screen swatch to judge LRV?

    No. LRV is measured from a physical painted surface, so it cannot be computed from a screen image. Take the figure from the manufacturer’s colour page or data sheet and confirm it in writing if the project depends on it.

    What LRV difference do I need between a door and a wall?

    UK guidance generally looks for at least 30 points between adjacent surfaces needing visual contrast. BS 8300-2:2018 says 20 points may be acceptable for large areas or where room lighting exceeds 200 lux. Confirm the requirement for your project with building control or an accessibility consultant.

    Can I specify LRV for a London project through Faura?

    Faura is a trade-only showroom, so you can see paint and finishes beside furniture, lighting, surfaces and hardware by appointment. Ask the team about the technical files available for the products you are considering. Trade terms are agreed individually with each approved account.

    Sources

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