Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) vs Ballet White (BM OC-9)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Swiss Coffee, LRV 81.9 vs 72.
- Warmer
- Ballet White, both warm white (Lab b* 8.4 vs 5.6).
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee: keeps more brightness (L* 89.4 vs 85.3 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.0 vs 4.2).
- Trim that works
- Capitol White BM CW-10, #F5F2E5, LRV 86.9: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.4, noticeably different. At 3.4, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) is lighter than Ballet White (BM OC-9) and slightly cooler: LRV 81.9 vs 72, deltaE 3.4 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Swiss Coffee | Ballet White | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | OC-45 | OC-9 | |
| Hex | #EEECE1 | #E5E0D0 | |
| RGB | 238, 236, 225 | 229, 224, 208 | |
| HSL | 51°, 28%, 91% | 46°, 29%, 86% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 81.9 | 72 | +9.9 |
| Lab L* | 93.3 | 89.2 | +4.1 |
| Lab a* | -1.2 | -1.0 | −0.2 |
| Lab b* | 5.6 | 8.4 | −2.9 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | White | Off-white |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45), published as #EEECE1
#DCE2DF
#FFF6E1
Ballet White (BM OC-9), published as #E5E0D0
#D4D6CE
#F7EAD0
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 9.9 LRV points lighter (81.9 vs 72), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Swiss Coffee (BM OC-45) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.6 against 8.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Ballet White (BM OC-9) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 8.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Closest matches to Ballet White in other brands
Common questions
- Is Swiss Coffee the same color as Ballet White?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.4. Most people can see the difference between Swiss Coffee and Ballet White side by side.
- Which is lighter, Swiss Coffee or Ballet White?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 81.9 against 72.
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.