Wind's Breath (BM 981) vs Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Wind's Breath, LRV 69.6 vs 63.1.
- Warmer
- About the same, both greige (Lab b* 7.4 vs 8.2).
- North rooms
- Wind's Breath keeps more brightness (L* 83.5 vs 80.7 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Stoneware BM CSP-245, #EFEADB, LRV 80.8: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.0, very close. At 2.0, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Wind's Breath
More comparisons with Wind's Breath
Edgecomb Gray
More comparisons with Edgecomb Gray
Wind's Breath (BM 981) is lighter than Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) and about as warm: LRV 69.6 vs 63.1, deltaE 2.0 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Wind's Breath | Edgecomb Gray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 981 | HC-173 | |
| Hex | #DFDBCD | #D9D3C4 | |
| RGB | 223, 219, 205 | 217, 211, 196 | |
| HSL | 47°, 22%, 84% | 43°, 22%, 81% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 69.6 | 63.1 | +6.5 |
| Lab L* | 87.4 | 84.7 | +2.7 |
| Lab a* | -1.0 | -0.5 | −0.5 |
| Lab b* | 7.4 | 8.2 | −0.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Greige | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Wind's Breath (BM 981), published as #DFDBCD
#CED1CB
#F1E5CD
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 Wind's Breath (BM 981) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 6.5 LRV points lighter (69.6 vs 63.1), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Wind's Breath in other brands
Closest matches to Edgecomb Gray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Wind's Breath the same color as Edgecomb Gray?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.0. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Wind's Breath and Edgecomb Gray.
- Which is lighter, Wind's Breath or Edgecomb Gray?
- Wind's Breath, with an LRV of 69.6 against 63.1.
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.