Smokey Taupe (BM 983) vs Accessible Beige (SW 7036)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Accessible Beige, LRV 58 vs 54.5.
- Warmer
- About the same, both greige (Lab b* 8.7 vs 8.8).
- North rooms
- Accessible Beige keeps more brightness (L* 76.7 vs 75.5 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Ivory Tower BM 2157-70, #FBF2E4, LRV 86: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 0.9, indistinguishable. At 0.9, pick on price, finish or availability.
See each color
More comparisons with Accessible Beige
Smokey Taupe (BM 983) is slightly darker than Accessible Beige (SW 7036) and about as warm: LRV 54.5 vs 58, deltaE 0.9 (indistinguishable).
Side by side
| Measure | Smokey Taupe | Accessible Beige | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | 983 | SW 7036 | |
| Hex | #CDC4B5 | #D1C7B8 | |
| RGB | 205, 196, 181 | 209, 199, 184 | |
| HSL | 38°, 19%, 76% | 36°, 21%, 77% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 54.5 | 58 | −3.5 |
| Lab L* | 79.5 | 80.7 | −1.2 |
| Lab a* | 0.6 | 0.9 | −0.4 |
| Lab b* | 8.7 | 8.8 | −0.1 |
| Undertone | Warm | Warm Sandy | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Smokey Taupe (BM 983), published as #CDC4B5
#BCBAB3
#DECEB5
Accessible Beige (SW 7036), published as #D1C7B8
#C0BDB6
#E2D1B8
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 Accessible Beige (SW 7036) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 3.5 LRV points lighter (58 vs 54.5), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Smokey Taupe in other brands
Closest matches to Accessible Beige in other brands
Common questions
- Is Smokey Taupe the same color as Accessible Beige?
- They are indistinguishable: a CIEDE2000 difference of 0.9. Most people cannot tell Smokey Taupe and Accessible Beige apart.
- Which is lighter, Smokey Taupe or Accessible Beige?
- Accessible Beige, with an LRV of 58 against 54.5.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Smokey Taupe: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02); Accessible Beige: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). 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.