Soft Chamois (BM 969) 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 77.4.
- Warmer
- Soft Chamois, both warm white (Lab b* 6.7 vs 5.6).
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee: keeps more brightness (L* 89.4 vs 86.9 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.0 vs 3.6).
- Trim that works
- Soft Chamois BM OC-13, #E8E5D8, LRV 77.4: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.7, very close. At 1.7, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Soft Chamois (BM 969) is slightly darker than Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) and slightly warmer: LRV 77.4 vs 81.9, deltaE 1.7 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Soft Chamois | Swiss Coffee | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 969 | OC-45 | |
| Hex | #E8E5D8 | #EEECE1 | |
| RGB | 232, 229, 216 | 238, 236, 225 | |
| HSL | 49°, 26%, 88% | 51°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 77.4 | 81.9 | −4.5 |
| Lab L* | 90.9 | 93.3 | −2.4 |
| Lab a* | -1.2 | -1.2 | +0.0 |
| Lab b* | 6.7 | 5.6 | +1.1 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Soft Chamois (BM 969), published as #E8E5D8
#D6DBD6
#FAEFD8
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 4.5 LRV points lighter (81.9 vs 77.4), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.6 against 6.7, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Soft Chamois (BM 969) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 6.7), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Soft Chamois in other brands
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Common questions
- Is Soft Chamois the same color as Swiss Coffee?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.7. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Soft Chamois and Swiss Coffee.
- Which is lighter, Soft Chamois or Swiss Coffee?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 81.9 against 77.4.
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.