Wool Skein (SW 6148) vs Natural Linen (SW 9109)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Natural Linen, LRV 66 vs 63.
- Warmer
- Wool Skein, both greige (Lab b* 11.7 vs 9.4).
- North rooms
- Natural Linen keeps more brightness (L* 81.2 vs 79.4 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Panda White SW 6147, #EAE2D4, LRV 77: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.9, noticeably different. At 2.9, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Natural Linen
More comparisons with Natural Linen
Wool Skein (SW 6148) is slightly darker than Natural Linen (SW 9109) and slightly warmer: LRV 63 vs 66, deltaE 2.9 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Wool Skein | Natural Linen | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6148 | SW 9109 | |
| Hex | #D9CFBA | #DFD3C3 | |
| RGB | 217, 207, 186 | 223, 211, 195 | |
| HSL | 41°, 29%, 79% | 34°, 30%, 82% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 63 | 66 | −3 |
| Lab L* | 83.4 | 85.1 | −1.7 |
| Lab a* | 0.0 | 1.5 | −1.5 |
| Lab b* | 11.7 | 9.4 | +2.3 |
| Undertone | Warm Yellow | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Wool Skein (SW 6148), published as #D9CFBA
#C8C5B8
#EAD9BA
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 Natural Linen (SW 9109) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 3 LRV points lighter (66 vs 63), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Natural Linen (SW 9109) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 9.4 against 11.7, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Wool Skein (SW 6148) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 11.7), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Wool Skein in other brands
Closest matches to Natural Linen in other brands
Common questions
- Is Wool Skein the same color as Natural Linen?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.9. Most people can see the difference between Wool Skein and Natural Linen side by side.
- Which is lighter, Wool Skein or Natural Linen?
- Natural Linen, with an LRV of 66 against 63.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: 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.