Swiss Coffee (Behr 12) vs Alabaster (SW 7008)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Swiss Coffee, LRV 84.7 vs 82.
- Warmer
- Swiss Coffee, both warm white (Lab b* 6.8 vs 5.2).
- North rooms
- Swiss Coffee keeps more brightness (L* 89.8 vs 88.8 in north light); Alabaster drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.2 vs 3.8).
- Trim that works
- Weathered White Behr HDC-NT-21, #E6E3D9, LRV 76.8 (estimated): the Behr white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 1.4, very close. At 1.4, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
More comparisons with Swiss Coffee
Swiss Coffee (Behr 12) is slightly lighter than Alabaster (SW 7008) and slightly warmer: LRV 84.7 vs 82, deltaE 1.4 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Swiss Coffee | Alabaster | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Behr | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | 12 | SW 7008 | |
| Hex | #F1EDE0 | #EDEAE0 | |
| RGB | 241, 237, 224 | 237, 234, 224 | |
| HSL | 46°, 38%, 91% | 46°, 27%, 90% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 84.7 (est.) | 82 | +2.7 |
| Lab L* | 93.7 | 92.7 | +1.0 |
| Lab a* | -0.9 | -0.7 | −0.2 |
| Lab b* | 6.8 | 5.2 | +1.6 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | White | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Swiss Coffee (Behr 12), published as #F1EDE0
#DFE3DE
#FFF7E0
Alabaster (SW 7008), published as #EDEAE0
#DBE0DE
#FFF4E0
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 Swiss Coffee (Behr 12) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 2.7 LRV points lighter (84.7 vs 82), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Alabaster (SW 7008) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.2 against 6.8, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Swiss Coffee (Behr 12) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 6.8), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Swiss Coffee in other brands
Closest matches to Alabaster in other brands
Common questions
- Is Swiss Coffee the same color as Alabaster?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 1.4. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Swiss Coffee and Alabaster.
- Which is lighter, Swiss Coffee or Alabaster?
- Swiss Coffee, with an LRV of 84.7 against 82.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Swiss Coffee: hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0); LRV is not published by Behr for this color and is estimated here from the color's own hex value; Alabaster: 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.