Paint colors · Benjamin Moore, as published by the brand

Benjamin Moore Potters Clay 1221: hex #B98766, LRV and undertone

Potters Clay (1221) from Benjamin Moore is #B98766 with an LRV of 28.25. It measures as a clear orange-peach, not a neutral, and black text on it reaches 6.72:1.

By Paul Gunder. Every value is computed from published standards; see how ColorPlum works.

Updated November 11, 2026

Benjamin MoorePotters Clay1221

Hex: #B98766
RGB: 185, 135, 102
LRV: 28.25
Undertone: Orange-peach, warm

LRV 28.25. Dark: a deep color that absorbs most light; often used on cabinets, doors and accent walls.

A clear orange-peach color (OKLCH hue 54°, chroma 0.077), not a neutral.

Coordinating colors Benjamin Moore suggests

ParchmentOC-78
Temptation1609
Super WhiteOC-152
November Rain2142-60

Closest colors from other brands

ΔE is the CIEDE2000 difference between the published values: under 2 is hard to tell apart on a wall, 2 to 5 is a visible but related shade. Always compare real chips before you buy.

Name, code, LRV and color value as published by Benjamin Moore on its color page (checked 2026-11-11). A screen can only approximate paint: sheen, lighting and the screen itself all change it, so check a physical sample. ColorPlum is not affiliated with Benjamin Moore.

ColorPlum swatchPotters Claymedium, moderately saturated brown

HEX: #B98766
RGB: rgb(185, 135, 102)
HSL: hsl(24, 37%, 56%)

Best text on it: black at 6.72:1

Build a palette Make a gradient Check contrast Wallpaper

Potters Clay#B98766

Every code for Potters Clay

HEX#B98766
RGBrgb(185, 135, 102)
HSLhsl(24, 37%, 56%)
HSV24°, 45%, 73%
CMYK0%, 27%, 45%, 27%
Lablab(60.8% 16.7 25.7)
OKLCHoklch(66.4% 0.077 54.4)
Decimal12158822

Tints, shades and tones

From white to black in 10% steps, with Potters Clay in the middle. Tap a code to copy it.

90%#F8F3F0
80%#F1E7E0
70%#EADBD1
60%#E3CFC2
50%#DCC3B3
40%#D5B7A3
30%#CEAB94
20%#C79F85
10%#C09375
Base#B98766
10%#A77A5C
20%#946C52
30%#825F47
40%#6F513D
50%#5D4433
60%#4A3629
70%#38291F
80%#251B14
90%#130E0A

Tones (mixed with gray)

10%#B38669
20%#AE866B
30%#A8856E
40%#A28470
50%#9D8473
60%#978376
70%#918278
80%#8B817B
90%#86817D

Matching colors

Complementary

#B98766
#6698B9

Analogous

#B9666F
#B98766
#B9B066

Triadic

#B98766
#66B987
#8766B9

Split complementary

#B98766
#66B9B0
#666FB9

Tetradic (square)

#B98766
#6FB966
#6698B9
#B066B9

Monochromatic

#5C3E2A
#906142
#B98766
#D1B09A
#E9D9CF

Potters Clay in 3D color space

OKLab, the space ColorPlum does its math in: lightness runs up the pole, hue goes around it and saturation grows outward. The faint shell is every color a screen can show (saturation is drawn wider than lightness so hues separate). Drag to turn it.

Potters Clay with its complement, its triad and its tint and shade

Potters Clay
Triad #66B987
Triad #8766B9
Complement
50% tint
50% shade

Potters Clay in use

New collectionAutumn edit

Card body text stays dark for reading; potters clay carries the header and the button.

Shop nowTag

Headline in Potters Clay

A paragraph with a link in dark text, because this color is too light for text on white; use it for fills instead.

How it looks with color-vision deficiency

A simulation (Machado and colleagues, 2009) of how the color and its complement read without one type of cone.

Typical color vision#B98766
Protanopia (no red cones)#958B64
Deuteranopia (no green cones)#A19666
Tritanopia (no blue cones)#C67E7E

Contrast and readability

Pairing	Ratio	WCAG 2.2
as text on white	3.12:1	AA AA large AAA
as text on black	6.72:1	AA AA large AAA
white text on it	3.12:1	AA AA large AAA
black text on it	6.72:1	AA AA large AAA
on your background	2.72:1	AA AA large AAA

Try a background

Export

:root {
  --potters-clay: #b98766;
  --potters-clay-rgb: 185 135 102;
  --potters-clay-on: #000000;
}

On this page

Potters Clay is Benjamin Moore color 1221, hex #B98766, RGB 185, 135, 102. Unlike the beiges and grays around it, this one carries real color, and the red channel sits 83 steps above the blue.

What the data says

The formats show hsl(24, 37%, 56%), lab(60.8% 16.7 25.7) and oklch(66.4% 0.077 54.4). Chroma of 0.077 is high enough that the undertone field calls it a clear orange-peach color, not a neutral. Lab's positive a and b values tell the same story: warm on both the red and yellow axes.

The LRV is 28.25, in the dark band. A color that is warm and fairly deep like this will read as rich in daylight and heavier by lamplight.

Worked example

Suppose you are painting the lower half of a dining room wall under a picture rail, in a house with west-facing windows. Potters Clay below, and a pale wall above, gives a terracotta band that glows when the sun drops. Benjamin Moore lists Parchment (OC-78), Temptation (1609), Super White (OC-152) and November Rain (2142-60) as coordinating colors. This site has no page for any of those four, so they go by name and code. Super White would suit the molding and ceiling, Parchment the upper wall, and November Rain or Temptation could appear on a door or in fabric.

At 28.25, the clay absorbs most light, so keep the upper wall pale enough to carry brightness back into the room.

Where it sits among others

The same-brand list is a long way off. Driftwood (2107-40) is ΔE 11, Kingsport Gray (HC-86) 12.3 and Lenox Tan (HC-44) 13.8, all clearly different, so Potters Clay stands apart from its Benjamin Moore neighbors in this data.

The closest across brands is Sherwin-Williams Baked Clay (SW 6340) at 6.5, still over 5 and so clearly different. Then come Sands of Time (SW 6101) at 10.2, Copper Mountain (SW 6356) at 12.6 and Poised Taupe (SW 6039) at 14.7. No nearby cross-brand paint is a stand-in, so buy Benjamin Moore for this one or compare samples closely.

Text on #B98766

Black text measures 6.72:1 and white text 3.12:1. Black clears the 4.5:1 body-text mark; white reaches 3:1 for large type only. For a menu, price list or product label on a clay background, black is the safer pick.

Because this clay carries real chroma, it behaves differently from a beige in photos and on screens. A phone camera may push it redder or browner, so trust a physical sample, and check the dried color a day after painting rather than while the wall is wet.