Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) vs Manchester Tan (BM HC-81)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- About the same: LRV 63.1 vs 63.2.
- Warmer
- Manchester Tan (Lab b* 12.0 vs 8.2). Edgecomb Gray reads greige; Manchester Tan reads yellow.
- North rooms
- About the same: both keep their brightness and color about equally (L* 80.7 vs 80.4 in north light).
- Trim that works
- White Blush BM 904, #F6F0E1, LRV 84.7: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.7, noticeably different. At 2.7, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Edgecomb Gray
More comparisons with Edgecomb Gray
Manchester Tan
More comparisons with Manchester Tan
Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) is about as light as Manchester Tan (BM HC-81) and cooler: LRV 63.1 vs 63.2, deltaE 2.7 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Edgecomb Gray | Manchester Tan | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | HC-173 | HC-81 | |
| Hex | #D9D3C4 | #DBD2BC | |
| RGB | 217, 211, 196 | 219, 210, 188 | |
| HSL | 43°, 22%, 81% | 43°, 30%, 80% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 63.1 | 63.2 | −0.1 |
| Lab L* | 84.7 | 84.4 | +0.3 |
| Lab a* | -0.5 | -0.6 | +0.1 |
| Lab b* | 8.2 | 12.0 | −3.9 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm Yellow | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Greige | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173), published as #D9D3C4
#C8C9C2
#EBDDC4
Manchester Tan (BM HC-81), published as #DBD2BC
#CAC8BA
#ECDCBC
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 Manchester Tan (BM HC-81) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 0.1 LRV points lighter (63.2 vs 63.1), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 8.2 against 12.0, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Manchester Tan (BM HC-81) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 12.0), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Edgecomb Gray in other brands
Closest matches to Manchester Tan in other brands
Common questions
- Is Edgecomb Gray the same color as Manchester Tan?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.7. Most people can see the difference between Edgecomb Gray and Manchester Tan side by side.
- Which is lighter, Edgecomb Gray or Manchester Tan?
- Manchester Tan, with an LRV of 63.2 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.