White Down (BM 970) vs White Dove (BM OC-17)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- White Dove, LRV 83.2 vs 76.7.
- Warmer
- White Down, both warm white (Lab b* 7.9 vs 4.5).
- North rooms
- White Dove: keeps more brightness (L* 90.0 vs 87.4 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 2.1 vs 4.2).
- Trim that works
- White Down BM CC-50, #EBE6D7, LRV 76.7: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.2, noticeably different. At 3.2, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
White Down (BM 970) is darker than White Dove (BM OC-17) and warmer: LRV 76.7 vs 83.2, deltaE 3.2 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | White Down | White Dove | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | 970 | OC-17 | |
| Hex | #EBE6D7 | #EFEEE5 | |
| RGB | 235, 230, 215 | 239, 238, 229 | |
| HSL | 45°, 33%, 88% | 54°, 24%, 92% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 76.7 | 83.2 | −6.5 |
| Lab L* | 91.3 | 94.0 | −2.6 |
| Lab a* | -0.9 | -1.2 | +0.4 |
| Lab b* | 7.9 | 4.5 | +3.4 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm Yellow | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
White Down (BM 970), published as #EBE6D7
#DADCD5
#FDF0D7
White Dove (BM OC-17), published as #EFEEE5
#DDE4E3
#FFF8E5
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 White Dove (BM OC-17) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 6.5 LRV points lighter (83.2 vs 76.7), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick White Dove (BM OC-17) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 4.5 against 7.9, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick White Down (BM 970) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 7.9), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to White Down in other brands
Closest matches to White Dove in other brands
Common questions
- Is White Down the same color as White Dove?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.2. Most people can see the difference between White Down and White Dove side by side.
- Which is lighter, White Down or White Dove?
- White Dove, with an LRV of 83.2 against 76.7.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02). 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.