Collingwood (BM 859) vs Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Edgecomb Gray, LRV 63.1 vs 61.5.
- Warmer
- Edgecomb Gray, both greige (Lab b* 8.2 vs 5.6).
- North rooms
- Edgecomb Gray keeps more brightness (L* 80.7 vs 79.0 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 2.4, noticeably different. At 2.4, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Edgecomb Gray
More comparisons with Edgecomb Gray
Collingwood (BM 859) is slightly darker than Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) and slightly cooler: LRV 61.5 vs 63.1, deltaE 2.4 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Collingwood | Edgecomb Gray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 859 | HC-173 | |
| Hex | #D3CEC4 | #D9D3C4 | |
| RGB | 211, 206, 196 | 217, 211, 196 | |
| HSL | 40°, 15%, 80% | 43°, 22%, 81% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 61.5 | 63.1 | −1.6 |
| Lab L* | 82.9 | 84.7 | −1.8 |
| Lab a* | 0.0 | -0.5 | +0.5 |
| Lab b* | 5.6 | 8.2 | −2.6 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Greige | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Collingwood (BM 859), published as #D3CEC4
#C2C4C2
#E5D8C4
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 Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 1.6 LRV points lighter (63.1 vs 61.5), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Collingwood (BM 859) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.6 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 Collingwood in other brands
Closest matches to Edgecomb Gray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Collingwood the same color as Edgecomb Gray?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.4. Most people can see the difference between Collingwood and Edgecomb Gray side by side.
- Which is lighter, Collingwood or Edgecomb Gray?
- Edgecomb Gray, with an LRV of 63.1 against 61.5.
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.