Crisp Linen (Behr MQ3-13) vs Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Swiss Coffee, LRV 81.9 vs 75.5.
- Warmer
- Crisp Linen, both warm white (Lab b* 7.6 vs 5.6).
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee: keeps more brightness (L* 89.4 vs 85.8 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.0 vs 4.4).
- Trim that works
- Ostrich Behr W-F-410, #E9E3D5, LRV 77.1 (estimated): the Behr white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.0, noticeably different. At 3.0, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Crisp Linen (Behr MQ3-13) is darker than Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) and slightly warmer: LRV 75.5 vs 81.9, deltaE 3.0 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Crisp Linen | Swiss Coffee | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Behr | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | MQ3-13 | OC-45 | |
| Hex | #E7E1D3 | #EEECE1 | |
| RGB | 231, 225, 211 | 238, 236, 225 | |
| HSL | 42°, 29%, 87% | 51°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 75.5 (est.) | 81.9 | −6.4 |
| Lab L* | 89.7 | 93.3 | −3.6 |
| Lab a* | -0.3 | -1.2 | +0.9 |
| Lab b* | 7.6 | 5.6 | +2.0 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Crisp Linen (Behr MQ3-13), published as #E7E1D3
#D6D7D1
#F9EBD3
Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45), published as #EEECE1
#DCE2DF
#FFF6E1
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 6.4 LRV points lighter (81.9 vs 75.5), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.6 against 7.6, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Crisp Linen (Behr MQ3-13) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 7.6), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Crisp Linen in other brands
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Common questions
- Is Crisp Linen the same color as Swiss Coffee?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.0. Most people can see the difference between Crisp Linen and Swiss Coffee side by side.
- Which is lighter, Crisp Linen or Swiss Coffee?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 81.9 against 75.5.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Crisp Linen: hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); LRV is not published by Behr for this color and is estimated here from the color's own hex value; Swiss Coffee: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.