Pale Oak (BM OC-20) vs Natural Linen (SW 9109)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Pale Oak, LRV 68.6 vs 66.
- Warmer
- Natural Linen, both greige (Lab b* 9.4 vs 5.9).
- North rooms
- Pale Oak: keeps more brightness (L* 82.8 vs 81.2 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 4.0 vs 4.9).
- Trim that works
- Ivory Tower BM 2157-70, #FBF2E4, LRV 86: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.9, noticeably different. At 3.9, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
More comparisons with Natural Linen
Pale Oak (BM OC-20) is slightly lighter than Natural Linen (SW 9109) and cooler: LRV 68.6 vs 66, deltaE 3.9 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Pale Oak | Natural Linen | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | OC-20 | SW 9109 | |
| Hex | #DDD9CE | #DFD3C3 | |
| RGB | 221, 217, 206 | 223, 211, 195 | |
| HSL | 44°, 18%, 84% | 34°, 30%, 82% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 68.6 | 66 | +2.6 |
| Lab L* | 86.7 | 85.1 | +1.6 |
| Lab a* | -0.5 | 1.5 | −2.0 |
| Lab b* | 5.9 | 9.4 | −3.5 |
| Undertone | Warm Greige | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Greige | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Pale Oak (BM OC-20), published as #DDD9CE
#CCCFCC
#EFE3CE
Natural Linen (SW 9109), published as #DFD3C3
#CEC9C1
#F1DDC3
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 Pale Oak (BM OC-20) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 2.6 LRV points lighter (68.6 vs 66), 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 9.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Natural Linen (SW 9109) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 9.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Pale Oak in other brands
Closest matches to Natural Linen in other brands
Common questions
- Is Pale Oak the same color as Natural Linen?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.9. Most people can see the difference between Pale Oak and Natural Linen side by side.
- Which is lighter, Pale Oak or Natural Linen?
- Pale Oak, with an LRV of 68.6 against 66.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Pale Oak: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02); Natural Linen: 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.