Fossil (BM AF-65) vs Pale Oak (BM OC-20)
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Fossil, LRV 71.6 vs 68.6.
- Warmer
- Fossil (Lab b* 8.1 vs 5.9). Fossil reads warm white; Pale Oak reads greige.
- North rooms
- Fossil keeps more brightness (L* 84.3 vs 82.8 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- White Blush BM 904, #F6F0E1, LRV 84.7: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.9, very close. At 1.9, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Fossil (BM AF-65) is slightly lighter than Pale Oak (BM OC-20) and slightly warmer: LRV 71.6 vs 68.6, deltaE 1.9 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Fossil | Pale Oak | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | AF-65 | OC-20 | |
| Hex | #E3DDCE | #DDD9CE | |
| RGB | 227, 221, 206 | 221, 217, 206 | |
| HSL | 43°, 27%, 85% | 44°, 18%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 71.6 | 68.6 | +3 |
| Lab L* | 88.2 | 86.7 | +1.5 |
| Lab a* | -0.5 | -0.5 | +0.0 |
| Lab b* | 8.1 | 5.9 | +2.2 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm Greige | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Fossil (BM AF-65), published as #E3DDCE
#D2D3CC
#F5E7CE
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 Fossil (BM AF-65) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 3 LRV points lighter (71.6 vs 68.6), 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 8.1, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Fossil (BM AF-65) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 8.1), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Fossil in other brands
Closest matches to Pale Oak in other brands
Common questions
- Is Fossil the same color as Pale Oak?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.9. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Fossil and Pale Oak.
- Which is lighter, Fossil or Pale Oak?
- Fossil, with an LRV of 71.6 against 68.6.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Fossil: 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.