Pale Oak (BM OC-20) vs Classic Gray (BM OC-23)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Classic Gray, LRV 73.7 vs 68.6.
- Warmer
- Pale Oak (Lab b* 5.9 vs 4.8). Pale Oak reads greige; Classic Gray reads warm white.
- North rooms
- Classic Gray: keeps more brightness (L* 85.2 vs 82.8 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 2.9 vs 4.0).
- Trim that works
- Dove Wing BM 960, #E9E6DB, LRV 77.5: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.8, very close. At 1.8, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Classic Gray
More comparisons with Classic Gray
Pale Oak (BM OC-20) is darker than Classic Gray (BM OC-23) and slightly warmer: LRV 68.6 vs 73.7, deltaE 1.8 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Pale Oak | Classic Gray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | OC-20 | OC-23 | |
| Hex | #DDD9CE | #E3E0D7 | |
| RGB | 221, 217, 206 | 227, 224, 215 | |
| HSL | 44°, 18%, 84% | 45°, 18%, 87% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 68.6 | 73.7 | −5 |
| Lab L* | 86.7 | 89.2 | −2.5 |
| Lab a* | -0.5 | -0.5 | 0.0 |
| Lab b* | 5.9 | 4.8 | +1.1 |
| Undertone | Warm Greige | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | neutral | |
| Color family | Greige | Off-white |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Pale Oak (BM OC-20), published as #DDD9CE
#CCCFCC
#EFE3CE
Classic Gray (BM OC-23), published as #E3E0D7
#D1D6D5
#F5EAD7
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 Classic Gray (BM OC-23) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 5 LRV points lighter (73.7 vs 68.6), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Classic Gray (BM OC-23) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 4.8 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 Pale Oak in other brands
Closest matches to Classic Gray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Pale Oak the same color as Classic Gray?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.8. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Pale Oak and Classic Gray.
- Which is lighter, Pale Oak or Classic Gray?
- Classic Gray, with an LRV of 73.7 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.