Balboa Mist (BM 1549) vs Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Balboa Mist, LRV 65.5 vs 63.1.
- Warmer
- Edgecomb Gray, both greige (Lab b* 8.2 vs 5.4).
- North rooms
- Balboa Mist: keeps more brightness (L* 81.8 vs 80.7 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.9 vs 4.4).
- Trim that works
- White Blush BM 904, #F6F0E1, LRV 84.7: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.2, very close. At 2.2, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Edgecomb Gray
More comparisons with Edgecomb Gray
Balboa Mist (BM 1549) is slightly lighter than Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) and slightly cooler: LRV 65.5 vs 63.1, deltaE 2.2 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Balboa Mist | Edgecomb Gray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 1549 | HC-173 | |
| Hex | #DAD6CC | #D9D3C4 | |
| RGB | 218, 214, 204 | 217, 211, 196 | |
| HSL | 43°, 16%, 83% | 43°, 22%, 81% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 65.5 | 63.1 | +2.4 |
| Lab L* | 85.7 | 84.7 | +1.0 |
| Lab a* | -0.4 | -0.5 | +0.1 |
| Lab b* | 5.4 | 8.2 | −2.7 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Greige | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Balboa Mist (BM 1549), published as #DAD6CC
#C9CCCA
#ECE0CC
Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173), published as #D9D3C4
#C8C9C2
#EBDDC4
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 Balboa Mist (BM 1549) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 2.4 LRV points lighter (65.5 vs 63.1), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Balboa Mist (BM 1549) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.4 against 8.2, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 8.2), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Balboa Mist in other brands
Closest matches to Edgecomb Gray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Balboa Mist the same color as Edgecomb Gray?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.2. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Balboa Mist and Edgecomb Gray.
- Which is lighter, Balboa Mist or Edgecomb Gray?
- Balboa Mist, with an LRV of 65.5 against 63.1.
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.