Color spec
| Brand | Valspar |
| Name | Irish Tea |
| SKU | 1004-9C |
| Hex | #987E78 |
| RGB | 152, 126, 120 |
| HSL | 11°, 13%, 53% |
| LRV | 22.9 |
| Undertone | warm red tone |
| Family | Brown |
About Valspar Irish Tea
With an LRV of 22.9, Irish Tea is a deep, dramatic shade. It soaks up light in north-facing rooms and looks richest where strong daylight hits it. Its red undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. Warm artificial light softens it; cool LED can make it look flat, so match your bulbs to the mood you want.
Irish Tea works best as a feature — a single wall, built-ins, a study or dining room — rather than wrapping a whole bright space. Browns ground a room and pair naturally with leather, wood and warm metals.
Closest matches by brand
11 brands within ΔE 5The closest matches per brand by ΔE2000, computed against each brand's full deck. Only colors within ΔE 5 (close enough to substitute on a wall) are shown — brands with no real match are left off. Tap any swatch for its full single-color spec; tap the brand title to browse all brown from that brand.
Behr
Benjamin Moore
PPG / Glidden
Glidden
Dutch Boy
Dunn-Edwards
Diamond Vogel
Hirshfield's
C2 Paint
Portola Paints
Kompozit
Similar Valspar colors
closest in the Valspar deckThe nearest shades to Irish Tea within Valspar'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 #987E78 in HSL space. Pair Irish Tea 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.
Valspar Irish Tea Equivalents at Other Brands
Matching Irish Tea from a different paint counter? Below is the single closest color in each major US deck and how close it really is. Remember that any paint store can also custom-tint Valspar 1004-9C directly — these equivalents are for when you'd rather stay inside one brand's own deck.
Behr Equivalent of Irish Tea
The closest Behr equivalent of Irish Tea is Cafe Ole (UL130-19). At ΔE 0.99 the two are indistinguishable on a wall — it carries the same warm red undertone and sits at the same lightness (LRV 23 vs 22.9). If Behr is your counter, order Cafe Ole and you'll get the same color. See the full Cafe Ole swatch →
Benjamin Moore Equivalent of Irish Tea
At Benjamin Moore, the closest color to Irish Tea is Weathered Bark (2098-40) — very close at ΔE 2.1, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 23 vs 22.9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Weathered Bark swatch →
PPG / Glidden Equivalent of Irish Tea
PPG / Glidden has no exact twin of Irish Tea. The nearest is Peppered Pecan (PPG1074-5) at ΔE 4.34 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 23 vs 22.9). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Peppered Pecan swatch →
Glidden Equivalent of Irish Tea
Glidden has no exact twin of Irish Tea. The nearest is Ranch Mink (PPG1075-5) at ΔE 4.18 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 24 vs 22.9). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Ranch Mink swatch →
Dunn-Edwards Equivalent of Irish Tea
Dunn-Edwards has no exact twin of Irish Tea. The nearest is Carmel Mission (DET694) at ΔE 3.63 — close, but the difference shows next to trim and in side light. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 23 vs 22.9). Compare large swatches before substituting. See the full Carmel Mission swatch →
Diamond Vogel Equivalent of Irish Tea
At Diamond Vogel, the closest color to Irish Tea is Emerging Leaf (0135) — very close at ΔE 2.43, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 24 vs 22.9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Emerging Leaf swatch →
Hirshfield's Equivalent of Irish Tea
At Hirshfield's, the closest color to Irish Tea is Emerging Leaf (0135) — very close at ΔE 3.15, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 23 vs 22.9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Emerging Leaf swatch →
Portola Paints Equivalent of Irish Tea
At Portola Paints, the closest color to Irish Tea is Jolene (JOLENE) — very close at ΔE 3.12, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 23 vs 22.9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Jolene swatch →
Kompozit Equivalent of Irish Tea
At Kompozit, the closest color to Irish Tea is Emerging Leaf (0135) — very close at ΔE 3.15, though not an exact twin. It sits at the same lightness (LRV 22 vs 22.9) and carries a warm red undertone; sample both side by side if the room gets strong natural light. See the full Emerging Leaf swatch →