Butterscotch vs Cut The Mustard
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both beiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (25 vs 26), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 3.3 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Butterscotch vs Cut The Mustard in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Butterscotch and Cut The Mustard are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Butterscotch vs Cut The Mustard Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Butterscotch on one side and Cut The Mustard on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Butterscotch comparisons
See how Butterscotch stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 25, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.
At LRV 25 vs 6, Butterscotch is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 25), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 25, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 25, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 27 vs 25), so neither reads brighter in a room.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.
Butterscotch reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 25, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (25 vs 13) makes Butterscotch the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 25, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.
Butterscotch reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 25, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 25, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 25, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 12, Butterscotch is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 25, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.
With LRVs of 25 and 25, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 25 vs 12, Butterscotch is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 25, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 25), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Butterscotch reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 25 and 24, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 25), opening up a space where Butterscotch encloses it.