Cedar Key (BM 982) vs Pale Oak (BM OC-20)
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Pale Oak, LRV 68.6 vs 61.1.
- Warmer
- Cedar Key, both greige (Lab b* 8.6 vs 5.9).
- North rooms
- Pale Oak: keeps more brightness (L* 82.8 vs 79.1 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 4.0 vs 4.8).
- Trim that works
- Woodland Snow BM 2161-70, #F7EFE1, LRV 85.6: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.5, noticeably different. At 3.5, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Cedar Key (BM 982) is darker than Pale Oak (BM OC-20) and slightly warmer: LRV 61.1 vs 68.6, deltaE 3.5 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Cedar Key | Pale Oak | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 982 | OC-20 | |
| Hex | #D7CEBF | #DDD9CE | |
| RGB | 215, 206, 191 | 221, 217, 206 | |
| HSL | 38°, 23%, 80% | 44°, 18%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 61.1 | 68.6 | −7.6 |
| Lab L* | 83.1 | 86.7 | −3.6 |
| Lab a* | 0.6 | -0.5 | +1.1 |
| Lab b* | 8.6 | 5.9 | +2.7 |
| Undertone | Warm | Warm Greige | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Cedar Key (BM 982), published as #D7CEBF
#C6C4BD
#E9D8BF
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 Pale Oak (BM OC-20) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 7.6 LRV points lighter (68.6 vs 61.1), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Pale Oak (BM OC-20) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.9 against 8.6, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Cedar Key (BM 982) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 8.6), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Cedar Key in other brands
Closest matches to Pale Oak in other brands
Common questions
- Is Cedar Key the same color as Pale Oak?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.5. Most people can see the difference between Cedar Key and Pale Oak side by side.
- Which is lighter, Cedar Key or Pale Oak?
- Pale Oak, with an LRV of 68.6 against 61.1.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Cedar Key: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); Pale Oak: 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.