Calm (BM OC-22) vs Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Swiss Coffee, LRV 81.9 vs 75.8.
- Warmer
- Swiss Coffee (Lab b* 5.6 vs 2.7). Calm reads neutral white; Swiss Coffee reads warm white.
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee keeps more brightness (L* 89.4 vs 86.7 in north light); Calm drifts less gray (chroma drop 0.1 vs 3.0).
- Trim that works
- Barely There BM CSP-725, #E8E6DE, LRV 77.5: 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
Calm (BM OC-22) is darker than Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) and slightly cooler: LRV 75.8 vs 81.9, deltaE 3.2 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Calm | Swiss Coffee | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | OC-22 | OC-45 | |
| Hex | #E6E4DF | #EEECE1 | |
| RGB | 230, 228, 223 | 238, 236, 225 | |
| HSL | 43°, 12%, 89% | 51°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 75.8 | 81.9 | −6.1 |
| Lab L* | 90.6 | 93.3 | −2.7 |
| Lab a* | -0.2 | -1.2 | +1.0 |
| Lab b* | 2.7 | 5.6 | −2.9 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Calm (BM OC-22), published as #E6E4DF
#D4DADD
#F8EEDF
Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45), published as #EEECE1
#DCE2DF
#FFF6E1
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 Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 6.1 LRV points lighter (81.9 vs 75.8), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Calm (BM OC-22) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 2.7 against 5.6, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 5.6), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Calm in other brands
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Common questions
- Is Calm the same color as Swiss Coffee?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.2. Most people can see the difference between Calm and Swiss Coffee side by side.
- Which is lighter, Calm or Swiss Coffee?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 81.9 against 75.8.
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.