The closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of Sherwin-Williams City Loft (SW 7631, a light warm greige at LRV 70) is Pale Oak OC-20, LRV about 69. That is roughly a 1 point depth gap, so the two read at nearly the same lightness, with Pale Oak carrying a slightly stronger pink-taupe cast.
The closest Behr match is Silver Ash GR-W11, LRV about 70, almost the same depth but a touch grayer with a soft green cast. A useful Benjamin Moore alternative is Balboa Mist OC-27 (LRV about 67) when you want a hair more gray and depth.
None of these is an official equivalent. The deltas are small, but small undertone shifts change how a color behaves in a real room, so confirm the match on your own wall before you commit a whole space.
You fell for City Loft on a Sherwin-Williams chip, but your painter stocks Benjamin Moore or Behr. Good news: you do not have to give up the color, you just need its nearest cross-brand neighbor. City Loft is a light warm greige (LRV 70, hex around #DFDAD1) that can lean taupe, soft pink, or gentle violet depending on the light. Below are the closest widely recommended matches, each with a numeric LRV and undertone delta, plus a quick note on how cross-brand paint matching works and why a truly exact copy does not exist.
The closest matches, side by side
| Color | Brand and code | Approx LRV | Undertone vs City Loft | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Loft (reference) | Sherwin-Williams SW 7631 | 70 | Warm greige, shifts taupe / pink / violet | The original |
| Pale Oak | Benjamin Moore OC-20 | ~69 | About 1 pt darker, slightly stronger pink-taupe | Closest BM match |
| Balboa Mist | Benjamin Moore OC-27 | ~67 | About 3 pts darker, grayer and more violet | BM alternative, more gray |
| Silver Ash | Behr GR-W11 | ~70 | Nearly same depth, a touch grayer with soft green | Closest Behr match |
Try it on your house
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Read the table as a depth-first ranking. Pale Oak is the safest like-for-like swap because it sits almost on top of City Loft's LRV, so walls, trim, and ceilings keep the same balance of light across the room. Silver Ash ties it on lightness from the Behr side but shifts the undertone a step toward green. Balboa Mist is the deliberate move down in value, about 3 points, for anyone who wants the greige to show more gray. All three are neighbors, and neighbors are close, not identical.
LRV and hex values are approximate digital references drawn from published brand data and can vary by batch, sheen, and screen. The only authoritative reference is a physical paint chip viewed in your own light.
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Why there is no exact City Loft equivalent
No paint brand publishes an official cross-brand equivalent, and none of these three colors was formulated to copy City Loft. Each company mixes from its own colorant base, so two colors can share an LRV and still split apart in a north-facing room or under warm LED. On paper City Loft is about #DFDAD1, Pale Oak about #DDD9CE, Balboa Mist about #DAD5CC, and Silver Ash about #DCDAD0: close enough that a screen can barely tell them apart, yet each is built on a different pigment recipe. Those are approximate values, and the physical chip always wins.
The practical takeaway: treat Pale Oak, Balboa Mist, and Silver Ash as the closest widely recommended neighbors, not as drop-in clones. Pale Oak wins on depth (about a 1 point LRV gap) but shows a slightly warmer pink-taupe side than City Loft. Silver Ash matches the lightness almost exactly and trades that pink for a whisper of green. Balboa Mist is the pick when City Loft feels a touch too pale and you want more visible gray, at the cost of about 3 LRV points of extra depth.
Sheen and light do the rest. The same gallon reads brighter in eggshell than in a flat finish, and a warm 2700K bulb pushes any of these greiges toward its yellow side while cool daylight pulls out the gray and violet. That is why a 1 to 3 point LRV gap on paper can look like nothing on a north wall and a noticeable step on a sunny one. Match the color to the room you actually have, not to the swatch under the store's fluorescents.
When the Benjamin Moore match works (and when to stay Sherwin-Williams)
Picking the right swap is less about the LRV number and more about what the room does to the light. City Loft's warmth can turn slightly pink in south light and slightly gray in north light, and each match answers a little differently. Here is how to choose.
- Use Pale Oak OC-20 when your crew already sprays Benjamin Moore and you want the nearest depth match. The 1 point LRV gap is invisible at chip scale, so the room reads like City Loft with a slightly warmer edge.
- Stay with Sherwin-Williams City Loft when you are matching existing City Loft trim or walls elsewhere in the same house, or when the pink-violet balance is the exact thing you loved. A cross-brand swap can nudge that undertone just enough to notice.
- Reach for Behr Silver Ash GR-W11 if Behr is your store and you want the same lightness. Expect a touch more gray-green and a hair less warmth. Read up on the source color first in City Loft undertones and best rooms.
- Compare like a pro before you buy a gallon: line the chips up in the actual room at different times of day, the way we outline in how to compare paint colors.
Related matches
Cross-shopping other warm neutrals? We map the same brand-to-brand deltas for two popular Sherwin-Williams greiges: the Benjamin Moore equivalent of Balanced Beige and the Benjamin Moore equivalent of Latte. Same method, different starting color, same reminder to sample on site. If you are still weighing City Loft against its own Sherwin-Williams neighbors, the undertone guide linked above walks through how it behaves next to trim whites and warm wood tones.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest Benjamin Moore equivalent of City Loft?
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak OC-20 is the closest widely recommended match. City Loft sits at LRV 70 and Pale Oak at about 69, a roughly 1 point depth gap that is invisible on a chip. Pale Oak leans a little warmer with a stronger pink-taupe undertone, so confirm it on your own wall.
Is there a Behr version of City Loft?
Behr Silver Ash GR-W11 is the closest widely referenced Behr match. Its LRV is about 70, nearly identical to City Loft, though it reads a touch grayer with a soft green cast instead of City Loft's pink-violet warmth. Treat it as a close neighbor, not an official equivalent.
Is Pale Oak or Balboa Mist closer to City Loft?
Pale Oak OC-20 is closer on depth, about 1 LRV point from City Loft versus about 3 points for Balboa Mist OC-27. Pick Balboa Mist only when you want a slightly deeper, grayer, more violet result. For the nearest like-for-like swap, Pale Oak wins.
Can I have the paint store color-match City Loft instead?
Yes, most stores can scan a City Loft chip and mix it into a Benjamin Moore or Behr base. It gets close, but a scanned match can drift in undertone because the base and colorants differ. A named color like Pale Oak is more predictable, and either way you should test a sample before buying a gallon.
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Trademark notice. Sherwin-Williams and City Loft, Benjamin Moore, and Behr are trademarks of their respective owners. FacadeColorizer is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by these companies. Brand and color names are used descriptively (nominative fair use). Hex and RGB values are approximate digital renderings; the only authoritative reference is a physical paint chip.
Trademarks mentioned (Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr, Caparol, Brillux, Sto, Alpina, Valspar, PPG, Glidden, Dulux, Crown Trade, Sandtex, Farrow & Ball, Johnstone's, Leyland) are property of their respective owners. FacadeColorizer is independent and not affiliated with any of them. Nominative fair use under Lanham Act §1125.
