White Dove (BM OC-17) vs Pale Oak (BM OC-20)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- White Dove, LRV 83.2 vs 68.6.
- Warmer
- Pale Oak (Lab b* 5.9 vs 4.5). White Dove reads warm white; Pale Oak reads greige.
- North rooms
- White Dove: keeps more brightness (L* 90.0 vs 82.8 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 2.1 vs 4.0).
- Trim that works
- Mountain Peak White BM 2148-70, #F7F5EB, LRV 88.6: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.8, noticeably different. At 4.8, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
White Dove (BM OC-17) is lighter than Pale Oak (BM OC-20) and slightly cooler: LRV 83.2 vs 68.6, deltaE 4.8 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | White Dove | Pale Oak | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | OC-17 | OC-20 | |
| Hex | #EFEEE5 | #DDD9CE | |
| RGB | 239, 238, 229 | 221, 217, 206 | |
| HSL | 54°, 24%, 92% | 44°, 18%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 83.2 | 68.6 | +14.5 |
| Lab L* | 94.0 | 86.7 | +7.2 |
| Lab a* | -1.2 | -0.5 | −0.7 |
| Lab b* | 4.5 | 5.9 | −1.4 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow | Warm Greige | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | White | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
White Dove (BM OC-17), published as #EFEEE5
#DDE4E3
#FFF8E5
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 White Dove (BM OC-17) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 14.5 LRV points lighter (83.2 vs 68.6), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick White Dove (BM OC-17) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 4.5 against 5.9, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Pale Oak (BM OC-20) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 5.9), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to White Dove in other brands
Closest matches to Pale Oak in other brands
Common questions
- Is White Dove the same color as Pale Oak?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.8. Most people can see the difference between White Dove and Pale Oak side by side.
- Which is lighter, White Dove or Pale Oak?
- White Dove, with an LRV of 83.2 against 68.6.
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.