Soft Fern (BM 2144-40) vs October Mist (BM CC-550)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Soft Fern, LRV 56.7 vs 46.5.
- Warmer
- Soft Fern (Lab b* 11.8 vs 9.4). Soft Fern reads green; October Mist reads green-gray.
- North rooms
- Soft Fern keeps more brightness (L* 76.6 vs 70.1 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Mascarpone BM AF-20, #F8F7E8, LRV 89: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.9, noticeably different. At 4.9, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
October Mist
More comparisons with October Mist
Soft Fern (BM 2144-40) is lighter than October Mist (BM CC-550) and slightly warmer: LRV 56.7 vs 46.5, deltaE 4.9 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Soft Fern | October Mist | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 2144-40 | CC-550 | |
| Hex | #C8CAB2 | #B6B8A5 | |
| RGB | 200, 202, 178 | 182, 184, 165 | |
| HSL | 65°, 18%, 75% | 66°, 12%, 68% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 56.7 | 46.5 | +10.1 |
| Lab L* | 80.6 | 74.2 | +6.4 |
| Lab a* | -4.9 | -4.1 | −0.8 |
| Lab b* | 11.8 | 9.4 | +2.3 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Green | Green |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Soft Fern (BM 2144-40), published as #C8CAB2
#B7C0B0
#D9D4B2
October Mist (BM CC-550), published as #B6B8A5
#A5AEA3
#C7C2A5
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 Soft Fern (BM 2144-40) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 10.1 LRV points lighter (56.7 vs 46.5), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick October Mist (BM CC-550) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 9.4 against 11.8, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Soft Fern (BM 2144-40) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 11.8), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Soft Fern in other brands
Closest matches to October Mist in other brands
Common questions
- Is Soft Fern the same color as October Mist?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.9. Most people can see the difference between Soft Fern and October Mist side by side.
- Which is lighter, Soft Fern or October Mist?
- Soft Fern, with an LRV of 56.7 against 46.5.
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.