Alabaster (BM 876) vs Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Alabaster, LRV 85.1 vs 81.9.
- Warmer
- Swiss Coffee, both warm white (Lab b* 5.6 vs 3.7).
- North rooms
- Alabaster: keeps more brightness (L* 90.6 vs 89.4 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 1.9 vs 3.0).
- Trim that works
- Gardenia BM AF-10, #F3F0E9, LRV 85: 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
Alabaster (BM 876) is slightly lighter than Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) and slightly cooler: LRV 85.1 vs 81.9, deltaE 2.2 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Alabaster | Swiss Coffee | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 876 | OC-45 | |
| Hex | #F2EFE8 | #EEECE1 | |
| RGB | 242, 239, 232 | 238, 236, 225 | |
| HSL | 42°, 28%, 93% | 51°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 85.1 | 81.9 | +3.2 |
| Lab L* | 94.5 | 93.3 | +1.2 |
| Lab a* | -0.2 | -1.2 | +1.0 |
| Lab b* | 3.7 | 5.6 | −1.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | warm | |
| Color family | White | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Alabaster (BM 876), published as #F2EFE8
#E0E5E6
#FFF9E8
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 Alabaster (BM 876) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 3.2 LRV points lighter (85.1 vs 81.9), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Alabaster (BM 876) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 3.7 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 Alabaster in other brands
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Common questions
- Is Alabaster the same color as Swiss Coffee?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.2. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Alabaster and Swiss Coffee.
- Which is lighter, Alabaster or Swiss Coffee?
- Alabaster, with an LRV of 85.1 against 81.9.
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.