Benjamin Moore Moonshine OC-56 – Color Review

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Last Updated on September 9, 2026 by Cate

Benjamin Moore Moonshine OC-56 is a light gray paint color with subtle blue-green undertones that create a crisp, airy feel. Softer than a true cool gray, it brings brightness and sophistication to living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and whole-house color palettes without feeling stark. Moonshine pairs beautifully with crisp white trim, cool-toned flooring, natural wood, and brushed nickel or black finishes, making it a versatile choice for modern, coastal, and transitional homes.

This soft shade of gray packs a surprisingly powerful punch of subtle, intoxicating color.

Benjamin Moore

STATS

• LRV – 68.28
• Yellow / Green-Yellow Hue Family

Moonshine OC-56 is also known as MOONSHINE 2140-60. What do those numbers even mean? They are there to tell you the color collection. So, OC is the Off-White Collection, and the numbers (without letters) are the Color Preview Collection.

If you’re curious why Benjamin Moore does this with some of their colors, here is some info to explain it further.

Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Colors is a collection of off white colors pulled from existing collections.  Almost every color in this collection can be found in another collection.  All the colors were re-numbered for this collection.  You will find most of these colors have two numbers; one from the original collection and one from the Off-Whites collection.  Some of the names are the same, and some of the names are different.  There is not any reasoning behind why the names were changed, other than marketing

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Moonshine has an LRV of 68.28.

LRV, or Light Reflectance Value, is a measurement commonly used by design professionals that measures how much light a surface reflects or absorbs. LRVs range from 0-100, with 100 being pure white and 0 being pure black.

LRV is for sure important. However, it is 100 percent not the be-all and end-all. Remember to consider the other elements of the space you are painting. For example, the amount of light, the type of lighting, and the fixed and decor elements. These, along with LRV, play a critical role in how a paint color will look in your room.

WHAT COLOR IS MOONSHINE?

Benjamin Moore paint color Moonshine is a light, near-neutral gray. At first glance, it resembles a soft, slightly cool-toned gray, and for the most part, that is exactly what it is. But near neutrals like BM Moonshine tend to be influenced by what’s going on around them.

Say you have a blue rug, blue throw pillows, and a north-facing room. You will most likely see Moonshine come off more on the cool side.

If you have enough light, it may also look like a neutral gray, depending on the conditions. This is why I always suggest testing paint samples in your home.

WHAT UNDERTONES DOES BENJAMIN MOORE MOONSHINE HAVE?

Moonshine has subtle blue/green undertones. Like all gray paint colors, Moonshine can be influenced by everything around it. For example, lighting, decor, and even what is outside of your window. Some grays can have “sneaky undertones” that show up and cause a bit of a stir. However, I like to think Moonshine is a color that doesn’t have anything sneaky coming your way.

IS MOONSHINE A WARM OR COOL COLOR?

Benjamin Moore Moonshine is a cool-toned paint color. But don’t let the word “cool” scare you. It’s not at all, and it’s nowhere near an icy cool gray. It’s coolness is part of its appeal.

One of my favorite ways to tell whether a color is warm or cool is to compare it to another color you already know the tone of.

I find comparing paint colors is a fantastic way to help you in your paint color search.

LIKE WARM PAINT COLORS? CHECK THESE OUT:

• Agreeable Gray SW
• BM Swiss Coffee
• White Dove BM
• SW Divine White
• SW Shoji White
• 10 Best Mushroom Paint Colors
• BM Soft Chamois
• BM Manchester Tan
• SW Creamy

LIGHTING

Lighting plays a large role in how you will perceive a color. For this reason, it’s a good idea to understand the lighting situation in the room you are choosing the right paint color for.

For reference, here is how light appears in different directions.

NORTH-FACING ROOMS – Light in North-facing rooms comes off cooler and somewhat bluish. Lighter colors will appear more muted, while bolder colors will show up more clearly.

SOUTH-FACING ROOMS – South-facing rooms tend to have consistently bright light throughout the day. Warm and cool tones work with south-facing light. This light intensifies colors, so darker colors will seem a bit brighter, while softer colors will appear to gleam.

EAST-FACING ROOMS – East-facing rooms have the brightest light in the mornings, with a yellow-orange tone. If you’ll use an east-facing room mostly in the evenings, a warm palette can help balance the lack of natural light.

WEST-FACING ROOMS – West-facing rooms have the most favorable light in the early evening. Warmer tones might feel overwhelming because of the red-orange light they cast. However, if the room is used mainly in the mornings, the colors won’t appear as strong as they would in the evening.

Moonshine would be a perfect color for a West-facing room. It has just enough coolness to balance out those warm light tones.

Don’t forget: while lighting plays a major part in how a paint color will look at times, other factors matter too. For instance, decor, furniture, fixtures, cabinetry, and floors. These elements can affect and/or influence how a paint color looks in your room.

WHAT IS THE BEST TRIM COLOR FOR BM MOONSHINE?

Moonshine looks fabulous with bright white trim like BM Chantilly Lace. It provides beautiful contrast and really lets it shine as the star of the “show.” But of course, you’re not limited to using only a white color for the trim.

It’s also a beautiful paint color to go with honey oak trim and dark wood elements.

The beauty of decorating is that there are no set-in-stone rules you must follow. I mean, it is your home; you decorate it the way you desire.

READ MORE: THE BEST WHITE PAINT COLORS FOR TRIM

WHERE TO USE MOONSHINE

BEDROOM

I think the bedroom is another fantastic place to use Moonshine. Again, it’s a neutral gray paint color so it allows you to play with color elsewhere. It’s also a cool-toned paint color, and cool tones are known for promoting a more relaxing, peaceful atmosphere. The bedroom is exactly where you need a restful, chill vibe, right?

READ MORE: HOW TO PAINT INTERIOR DOORS

BASEMENT

Basements can be tricky when it comes to finding the right paint color. For the most part, they’re darker with little to no natural light, and they may have lower ceilings. Two quite challenging factors to work around. However, I am here to tell you it works beautifully on the basement walls.

I used it as my basement wall color. For reference, there are two small windows with a porch deck covering them. So, there is basically no natural light. However, high hats provide artificial light.

The color reads cooler. I tend to see more of a green/blue in the gray. But it is not too dark for the space. I find it to be the perfect fit for my basement.

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IS MOONSHINE A GOOD EXTERIOR COLOR?

Light, near neutrals like Moonshine may not be your best choice for exterior paint. Because the color will be in direct sunlight, it may look very washed out. You’ll lose all sense of the color, and it will end up looking white.

LOOKING FOR MORE EXTERIOR PAINT COLORS? CHECK THESE OUT:

• Benjamin Moore Exterior Paint Colors
• Popular Sherwin Williams Exterior Colors
• Exterior Colors that go with Brick
• Awesome Front Door Colors
• Exterior Paint Color Combos
• Blue Exterior Paint Colors
• SW Tricorn Black
• Sherwin Williams Snowbound

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO SAMPLE MOONSHINE?

WHAT IS THE SHERWIN WILLIAMS EQUIVALENT TO MOONSHINE?

There isn’t an SW color that is quite comparable to Benjamin Moore Moonshine. The closest Sherwin-Williams paint color that I found, going solely off of spectral data, is:

• SW 9628 WINTER WALK – Sherwin-Williams Emerald Designer Edition
• LRV 66

Now, side by side, they don’t look very similar. SW Winter Walk is in the yellow-green hue family and is a bit warmer in tone.

The one color I found to be comparable is:

• EON N370-2 -Behr

If you’re color-matching between paint brands, I highly recommend buying a sample beforehand. Sometimes, when you color-match between paint manufacturers, the colors don’t come out accurately. This is because each brand uses different formulas to create its paint colors.

The best option is to choose within the brand’s paint color lines. This way you know what you are getting.

COORDINATING COLORS

Neutral paint colors tend to be the most effortless to find complementary colors for, especially grays. However, it’s important to be aware of the color’s undertones. When talking about Benjamin Moore Moonshine, blue/green undertones can show up. Knowing this information, you can do one of two things,

1. work with colors to enhance those tones
2. work with colors to dilute those tones

For fun, I’ll give you some colors that do both.

COLOR COMPARISONS

As I mentioned before, comparing colors is a helpful way to see if a color is warm or cool, etc. I collected a few popular paint colors to compare Moonshine against. Let’s see how they stack up.

MOONSHINE VS SILVER SATIN

• Silver Satin has an LRV of 76.35
• Both colors are a part of Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Collection.
• Silver Satin is the lighter color of the two.
• Both are gray paint colors.
• Silver Satin has more purple-ish undertones

I wouldn’t say these two colors are close in color. There are both beautiful in their own ways.

READ MORE: FULL REVIEW ON SILVER SATIN

MOONSHINE VS CLASSIC GRAY

• Classic Gray has an LRV of 74.78.
• Both colors are a part of Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Collection.
• Classic Gray is a warm-toned gray.
• As for undertones, Classic Gray has purple undertones.
• Moonshine is darker than Classic Gray
• Classic Gray will pull quite cool in North-facing rooms

READ MORE: CLASSIC GRAY PAINT COLOR REVIEW

MOONSHINE VS GRAY OWL

• Moony has an LRV of 68.28 which is a hair higher than Gray Owl’s 65.77.
• These are very similar.
• Gray Owl is a darker paint color.
• Both are cooler-toned grays.
• Both Gray Owl and Moonshine have blue/green undertones.
• I find Moonshine to pull a bit more green/blue.
• Gray Owl can look a bit more of a neutral gray in the right situation.

READ MORE: GRAY OWL COLOR REVIEW

MOONSHINE VS HORIZON

• Horizon has an LRV of 73.96
• Both are a part of Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Collection.
• Horizon has blue and green undertones, leaning more towards green.
• Horizon is the lighter of the two colors.
• Both are cool-toned.

MOONSHINE VS AGREEABLE GRAY

• Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray has an LRV of 60
• Of the two colors, Agreeable Gray is the warmer gray.
• Agreeable Gray is a versatile warm gray/greige paint color.
• Agreeable Gray also has a green undertone that can show in certain lighting.

READ MORE: AGREEABLE GRAY- IS IT THE BEST GREIGE OUT THERE?

MOONSHINE VS REVERE PEWTER

• Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter has an LRV of 55.51
• Revere Pewter is the warmer gray / greige.
• Moonshine has more of a clean, crisp feel to it.
• Revere Pewter green undertone that can show up. And can be considered a “muddy” color.
• Revere Pewter works well as a transitional color.

READ MORE: BM REVERE PEWTER – STILL A FAVORITE?

RECAP

Here’s a quick review of what we learned about Benjamin Moore Moonshine OC-56.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If I had to describe this color, I’d say refined, timeless, and classic. It has a certain elegance, which is why it is a favorite hue among designers and DIYers alike.

The appeal of this cool-toned gray is its versatility, which makes it a great wall color for just about any room.

What more is there to say?

This is one of those paint colors that (in my eyes) will never go out of style. It is truly timeless. It’s so soft and beautiful and will make any space feel elegant.

The subtle blue/green undertone is not overbearing at all. It adds to the color’s sophistication. If youare okay with a lovely cool undertone, you will absolutely fall for Moonshine.

However, if you aren’t a fan of any cool blue-green undertones, you may want to explore a paint color that is slightly warmer, like Edgecomb Gray, Repose Gray. or SW Agreeable Gray.

Finally, keep in mind that the colors you see on a computer screen aren’t a true representation of the paint colors spoken about. Swatch and test the paint colors to see the true color.

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