Manchester Tan (BM HC-81) vs Muslin (SW 6133)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Muslin, LRV 74 vs 63.2.
- Warmer
- About the same, both yellow (Lab b* 12.0 vs 12.1).
- North rooms
- Muslin keeps more brightness (L* 85.2 vs 80.4 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 3.2, noticeably different. At 3.2, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
More comparisons with Manchester Tan
Manchester Tan (BM HC-81) is darker than Muslin (SW 6133) and about as warm: LRV 63.2 vs 74, deltaE 3.2 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Manchester Tan | Muslin | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | HC-81 | SW 6133 | |
| Hex | #DBD2BC | #EADFC9 | |
| RGB | 219, 210, 188 | 234, 223, 201 | |
| HSL | 43°, 30%, 80% | 40°, 44%, 85% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 63.2 | 74 | −10.8 |
| Lab L* | 84.4 | 89.2 | −4.8 |
| Lab a* | -0.6 | 0.1 | −0.7 |
| Lab b* | 12.0 | 12.1 | −0.1 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow | Warm Yellow | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Manchester Tan (BM HC-81), published as #DBD2BC
#CAC8BA
#ECDCBC
Muslin (SW 6133), published as #EADFC9
#D9D5C7
#FCE9C9
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 Muslin (SW 6133) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 10.8 LRV points lighter (74 vs 63.2), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Manchester Tan in other brands
Closest matches to Muslin in other brands
Common questions
- Is Manchester Tan the same color as Muslin?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.2. Most people can see the difference between Manchester Tan and Muslin side by side.
- Which is lighter, Manchester Tan or Muslin?
- Muslin, with an LRV of 74 against 63.2.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Manchester Tan: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02); Muslin: 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.