Color spec
| Brand | Behr |
| Name | Mountain Olive |
| SKU | MQ6-1 |
| Hex | #5C684C |
| RGB | 92, 104, 76 |
| HSL | 86°, 16%, 35% |
| LRV | 12 |
| Undertone | cool green tone |
| Family | Green |
What Color Is Mountain Olive, Really?
Mountain Olive MQ6-1 is a deep, muted green. Its hex is #5C684C and its LRV is 12, which puts it in the dark band where the color holds real weight on a wall. The hue reading sits at 86 degrees, in the yellow-green part of the wheel, but saturation is only 16 percent, so it never looks bright or grassy. Behr lists the undertone as a cool green tone, and that is how it behaves: quieter and less golden than the word olive suggests.
People pick it when they want a dark room that still feels natural. Deep greens do the same job as a charcoal or navy, but they read softer, and Mountain Olive is muted enough to sit near wood, stone, and linen without fighting them. On cabinets and doors it looks closer to a stained finish than to a painted one, which is a large part of the appeal.
The thing to check is light. At LRV 12 the color has almost nothing to give back in a dim room, and in weak north light it can lose the green entirely and read as a dark gray-brown. In strong sun it comes alive and the yellow-green side shows. Sample it on two walls that get different light before you commit.
The green in Mountain Olive is real but restrained. At 16 percent saturation the color is heavily grayed, so on a small chip it can look like a dark charcoal with a tint. On a full wall the green becomes clear, and the hue reading of 86 degrees means it sits on the yellow side of green rather than the blue side.
Where it shows depends on its company. Next to a clean white the green reads plainly. Next to a warm beige or a tan floor the color turns cooler and grayer, which is the direction Behr's cool green label points. Next to a saturated forest green it will look dusty and washed out by comparison.
Check it against whatever green you already have in the room, whether that is tile, stone, or a countertop with veining. Two greens close in hue but different in saturation tend to make each other look wrong, and that is the main way this color disappoints.
Best Rooms and Uses for Mountain Olive
Mountain Olive is a color for rooms you want to feel enclosed. Home offices, dining rooms, libraries, and bedrooms all take it well, and the muted green tends to feel restful rather than heavy. In a room with plenty of daylight it can go on all four walls; in a dim room it works better on one wall or below a chair rail.
Cabinets are its strongest use. At LRV 12 it gives a kitchen island or a bathroom vanity the depth of a stained wood piece, and it sits comfortably with brass, bronze, and unlacquered hardware. It also reads well on built-ins with warm white walls above.
Outdoors the tone suits wooded lots and older homes. It works as a front door, shutter, or trim color, and as a body color on smaller houses where a dark green looks settled rather than imposing. Keep trim in a separate white so the green stays legible.
How Lighting Changes Mountain Olive
At LRV 12 Mountain Olive reflects very little light, so the room decides how much color you actually see. North-facing rooms give cool, flat daylight that drains the yellow out of it. The wall goes deeper, grayer, and closer to a dark stone than a green. If your room faces north and you want the green to read, plan on warm bulbs.
South-facing rooms are the opposite. Strong warm daylight lifts the yellow-green side, and the color looks softer and more alive, especially in the middle of the day. East rooms show that warmth in the morning and settle gray by afternoon. West rooms stay muted early and glow late.
Bulbs push it hard at this depth. Warm 2700K light brings the olive forward and makes the room feel enclosed in a good way. Cooler 3500K to 4000K bulbs flatten the warmth and can make the wall look almost gray-green after dark.
Most complaints about Mountain Olive are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.
TEST IT IN YOUR LIGHT →Mountain Olive vs Similar Colors
Inside the Behr deck, Sandwashed Driftwood 770D-6 (#5E654C, LRV 12) is the closest, slightly less green and a bit browner. Gladiator Gray N370-6 (#5B6A54, LRV 13) reads greener and a touch lighter despite its name. Toasted Walnut 720D-6 (#61644C, LRV 12) pulls further toward yellow-brown, and Amazon Jungle PPU9-24 (#686748, LRV 13) is the most clearly olive of the set.
Across brands, Dunn-Edwards Hinterland DET509 at deltaE 1.69 is visually identical in normal room light, though its LRV of 14 makes it read a shade lighter on a big wall. Kompozit and Hirshfield's Mother Nature 0746 (deltaE 2.04) and Dutch Boy Tuscan Olive 324-7DB (deltaE 2.82) are very close, so sample first.
Benjamin Moore Peale Green HC-121 (deltaE 3.2), Sherwin-Williams Oakmoss SW 6180 (deltaE 3.84), and Farrow and Ball Minster Green No. 224 (deltaE 3.84) are close but visibly different side by side, with Minster Green reading cooler and Oakmoss reading more yellow.
Colors That Go With Mountain Olive
Start with white trim. A warm white keeps Mountain Olive looking earthy and stops the green from turning cold, and it is the safest way to frame a dark wall. A cleaner white gives sharper contrast if the room already has plenty of wood.
Within Behr, the near neighbors read as tonal partners rather than contrast. Gladiator Gray N370-6 at LRV 13 is a touch lighter and greener, useful for a ceiling or an adjacent wall if you want depth without repeating the exact shade. Rosemary Sprig ICC-87 at LRV 14 is the lightest of the group and works the same way. Coconut Husk 730D-6 and Amazon Jungle PPU9-24, both LRV 13, pull more yellow and suit trim or a door if you want the pairing to feel warmer.
Beyond paint, oak and walnut, natural jute, unglazed terracotta, and aged brass all flatter it. Cool chrome and bright blue-whites tend to make it look flat.
Need It From Another Brand?
Any paint counter can custom-tint Behr MQ6-1 directly — but if you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches:
Similar Behr colors
closest in the Behr deckThe nearest shades to Mountain Olive within Behr's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.
Coordinated palette
Generated by hue-rotating #5C684C in HSL space. Pair Mountain Olive with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.
Accessibility (WCAG contrast)
WCAG 2.1: AA = 4.5:1 normal text · AA Large = 3:1 large text · AAA = 7:1 normal text.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Is Mountain Olive warm or cool?
Behr lists it as a cool green tone. The hue sits at 86 degrees, on the yellow side of green, but the low 16 percent saturation keeps the warmth from showing much. In practice it reads cooler and grayer than most colors named olive, especially in north light.
What LRV is Mountain Olive?
Mountain Olive MQ6-1 has an LRV of 12. On a scale where 0 is black and 100 is pure white, that is firmly in the dark range. It reflects very little light, so the room will feel noticeably deeper after painting and will need more lamps than a mid-tone would.
Does Mountain Olive work in a dark room?
It can, but expect the green to fade. At LRV 12 in weak or north-facing light the color drops toward a dark gray-brown and stops looking green. If the room is dim and you still want the green to read, use warm 2700K bulbs and add layers of light rather than relying on one ceiling fixture.
What white trim goes with Mountain Olive?
A warm white is the usual choice, because it keeps the green earthy and stops the pairing from feeling cold. A cleaner, brighter white gives sharper contrast and suits rooms with a lot of wood already in them. Either way, keep trim in a separate color rather than painting it the same green.
Is Mountain Olive good for kitchen cabinets?
Yes, cabinets are one of its best uses. At LRV 12 the color gives an island or vanity the visual weight of stained wood, and the muted green pairs easily with brass and bronze hardware and warm stone counters. Lighter perimeter cabinets or warm white walls keep the kitchen from going dark overall.
How is Mountain Olive different from Sherwin-Williams Oakmoss?
Oakmoss SW 6180 is #65684C at LRV 13, against Mountain Olive at #5C684C and LRV 12. The deltaE between them is 3.84, so they are close but visibly different side by side. Oakmoss carries more yellow and reads a little lighter; Mountain Olive stays cooler and slightly deeper.
Will It Work in YOUR Room?
No page can promise how Mountain Olive behaves in your light. Upload a photo and see it on your own walls in seconds — before you spend a cent on samples.
TRY MOUNTAIN OLIVE ON YOUR ROOM →Ask a Question
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