Linen White (BM 912) vs Alabaster (SW 7008)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Alabaster, LRV 82 vs 80.9.
- Warmer
- Linen White, both warm white (Lab b* 9.1 vs 5.2).
- North rooms
- Alabaster drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.2 vs 4.4); both keep about the same brightness.
- Trim that works
- White Blush BM 904, #F6F0E1, LRV 84.7: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.0, noticeably different. At 3.0, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Linen White (BM 912) is about as light as Alabaster (SW 7008) and warmer: LRV 80.9 vs 82, deltaE 3.0 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Linen White | Alabaster | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | 912 | SW 7008 | |
| Hex | #F2EBDA | #EDEAE0 | |
| RGB | 242, 235, 218 | 237, 234, 224 | |
| HSL | 42°, 48%, 90% | 46°, 27%, 90% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 80.9 | 82 | −1.1 |
| Lab L* | 93.2 | 92.7 | +0.5 |
| Lab a* | -0.5 | -0.7 | +0.2 |
| Lab b* | 9.1 | 5.2 | +3.9 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Linen White (BM 912), published as #F2EBDA
#E1E1D8
#FFF5DA
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 Alabaster (SW 7008) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 1.1 LRV points lighter (82 vs 80.9), 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 9.1, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Linen White (BM 912) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 9.1), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Linen White in other brands
Closest matches to Alabaster in other brands
Common questions
- Is Linen White the same color as Alabaster?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.0. Most people can see the difference between Linen White and Alabaster side by side.
- Which is lighter, Linen White or Alabaster?
- Alabaster, with an LRV of 82 against 80.9.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Linen White: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02); 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.