Neutral Ground (SW 7568) vs Natural Linen (SW 9109)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Neutral Ground, LRV 70 vs 66.
- Warmer
- About the same, both greige (Lab b* 8.9 vs 9.4).
- North rooms
- Neutral Ground keeps more brightness (L* 83.4 vs 81.2 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 2.4, noticeably different. At 2.4, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Neutral Ground
More comparisons with Neutral Ground
Natural Linen
More comparisons with Natural Linen
Neutral Ground (SW 7568) is slightly lighter than Natural Linen (SW 9109) and about as warm: LRV 70 vs 66, deltaE 2.4 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Neutral Ground | Natural Linen | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7568 | SW 9109 | |
| Hex | #E2DACA | #DFD3C3 | |
| RGB | 226, 218, 202 | 223, 211, 195 | |
| HSL | 40°, 29%, 84% | 34°, 30%, 82% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 70 | 66 | +4 |
| Lab L* | 87.3 | 85.1 | +2.2 |
| Lab a* | 0.0 | 1.5 | −1.4 |
| Lab b* | 8.9 | 9.4 | −0.6 |
| Undertone | Warm | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Beige | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Neutral Ground (SW 7568), published as #E2DACA
#D1D0C8
#F4E4CA
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 Neutral Ground (SW 7568) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 4 LRV points lighter (70 vs 66), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Neutral Ground in other brands
Closest matches to Natural Linen in other brands
Common questions
- Is Neutral Ground the same color as Natural Linen?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.4. Most people can see the difference between Neutral Ground and Natural Linen side by side.
- Which is lighter, Neutral Ground or Natural Linen?
- Neutral Ground, with an LRV of 70 against 66.
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.