Soft Chamois (BM 969) vs Pale Oak (BM OC-20)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Soft Chamois, LRV 77.4 vs 68.6.
- Warmer
- About the same (Lab b* 6.7 vs 5.9). Soft Chamois reads warm white; Pale Oak reads greige.
- North rooms
- Soft Chamois keeps more brightness (L* 86.9 vs 82.8 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Soft Chamois BM OC-13, #E8E5D8, LRV 77.4: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.8, noticeably different. At 2.8, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Soft Chamois
More comparisons with Soft Chamois
Soft Chamois (BM 969) is lighter than Pale Oak (BM OC-20) and about as warm: LRV 77.4 vs 68.6, deltaE 2.8 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Soft Chamois | Pale Oak | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 969 | OC-20 | |
| Hex | #E8E5D8 | #DDD9CE | |
| RGB | 232, 229, 216 | 221, 217, 206 | |
| HSL | 49°, 26%, 88% | 44°, 18%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 77.4 | 68.6 | +8.8 |
| Lab L* | 90.9 | 86.7 | +4.1 |
| Lab a* | -1.2 | -0.5 | −0.7 |
| Lab b* | 6.7 | 5.9 | +0.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm Greige | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Soft Chamois (BM 969), published as #E8E5D8
#D6DBD6
#FAEFD8
Pale Oak (BM OC-20), published as #DDD9CE
#CCCFCC
#EFE3CE
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 Chamois (BM 969) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 8.8 LRV points lighter (77.4 vs 68.6), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Soft Chamois in other brands
Closest matches to Pale Oak in other brands
Common questions
- Is Soft Chamois the same color as Pale Oak?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.8. Most people can see the difference between Soft Chamois and Pale Oak side by side.
- Which is lighter, Soft Chamois or Pale Oak?
- Soft Chamois, with an LRV of 77.4 against 68.6.
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.