Muslin (BM 1037) vs Manchester Tan (BM HC-81)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Muslin, LRV 66.5 vs 63.2.
- Warmer
- About the same (Lab b* 11.7 vs 12.0). Muslin reads greige; Manchester Tan reads yellow.
- North rooms
- Muslin keeps more brightness (L* 82.0 vs 80.4 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- White Blush BM 904, #F6F0E1, LRV 84.7: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.6, very close. At 1.6, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Manchester Tan
More comparisons with Manchester Tan
Muslin (BM 1037) is slightly lighter than Manchester Tan (BM HC-81) and about as warm: LRV 66.5 vs 63.2, deltaE 1.6 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Muslin | Manchester Tan | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 1037 | HC-81 | |
| Hex | #E1D6C1 | #DBD2BC | |
| RGB | 225, 214, 193 | 219, 210, 188 | |
| HSL | 39°, 35%, 82% | 43°, 30%, 80% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 66.5 | 63.2 | +3.3 |
| Lab L* | 86.0 | 84.4 | +1.6 |
| Lab a* | 0.3 | -0.6 | +0.9 |
| Lab b* | 11.7 | 12.0 | −0.3 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow | Warm Yellow | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Muslin (BM 1037), published as #E1D6C1
#D0CCBF
#F3E0C1
Manchester Tan (BM HC-81), published as #DBD2BC
#CAC8BA
#ECDCBC
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 Muslin (BM 1037) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 3.3 LRV points lighter (66.5 vs 63.2), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Muslin in other brands
Closest matches to Manchester Tan in other brands
Common questions
- Is Muslin the same color as Manchester Tan?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.6. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Muslin and Manchester Tan.
- Which is lighter, Muslin or Manchester Tan?
- Muslin, with an LRV of 66.5 against 63.2.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: 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.