Ethereal White (SW 6182) vs Alabaster (SW 7008)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Alabaster, LRV 82 vs 76.
- Warmer
- About the same, both warm white (Lab b* 4.5 vs 5.2).
- North rooms
- Alabaster keeps more brightness (L* 88.8 vs 85.8 in north light); Ethereal White drifts less gray (chroma drop 2.1 vs 3.2).
- Trim that works
- Cold Foam SW 9504, #EFECE3, LRV 84: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.1, very close. At 2.1, test both side by side if the room is dim or north-facing.
See each color
Ethereal White (SW 6182) is darker than Alabaster (SW 7008) and about as warm: LRV 76 vs 82, deltaE 2.1 (very close).
Side by side
| Measure | Ethereal White | Alabaster | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6182 | SW 7008 | |
| Hex | #E3E2D9 | #EDEAE0 | |
| RGB | 227, 226, 217 | 237, 234, 224 | |
| HSL | 54°, 15%, 87% | 46°, 27%, 90% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 76 | 82 | −6 |
| Lab L* | 89.7 | 92.7 | −2.9 |
| Lab a* | -1.2 | -0.7 | −0.5 |
| Lab b* | 4.5 | 5.2 | −0.7 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Ethereal White (SW 6182), published as #E3E2D9
#D1D8D7
#F5ECD9
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 6 LRV points lighter (82 vs 76), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Ethereal White in other brands
Closest matches to Alabaster in other brands
Common questions
- Is Ethereal White the same color as Alabaster?
- They are very close: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.1. Side by side you may see a slight difference between Ethereal White and Alabaster.
- Which is lighter, Ethereal White or Alabaster?
- Alabaster, with an LRV of 82 against 76.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: 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.