Cloud Cover (BM 855) 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 80.3.
- Warmer
- Swiss Coffee, both warm white (Lab b* 5.6 vs 4.0).
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee keeps more brightness (L* 89.4 vs 88.0 in north light); Cloud Cover drifts less gray (chroma drop 1.6 vs 3.0).
- Trim that works
- Cloud Cover BM OC-25, #E9E8E0, LRV 80.3: 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
Cloud Cover (BM 855) is slightly darker than Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) and slightly cooler: LRV 80.3 vs 81.9, deltaE 1.6 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Cloud Cover | Swiss Coffee | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 855 | OC-45 | |
| Hex | #E9E8E0 | #EEECE1 | |
| RGB | 233, 232, 224 | 238, 236, 225 | |
| HSL | 53°, 17%, 90% | 51°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 80.3 | 81.9 | −1.6 |
| Lab L* | 91.9 | 93.3 | −1.4 |
| Lab a* | -1.1 | -1.2 | +0.2 |
| Lab b* | 4.0 | 5.6 | −1.6 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Cloud Cover (BM 855), published as #E9E8E0
#D7DEDE
#FBF2E0
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 1.6 LRV points lighter (81.9 vs 80.3), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Cloud Cover (BM 855) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 4.0 against 5.6, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 5.6), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Cloud Cover in other brands
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Common questions
- Is Cloud Cover the same color as Swiss Coffee?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.6. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Cloud Cover and Swiss Coffee.
- Which is lighter, Cloud Cover or Swiss Coffee?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 81.9 against 80.3.
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.