Snowbound (SW 7004) vs Drift of Mist (SW 9166)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Snowbound, LRV 83 vs 69.
- Warmer
- Drift of Mist (Lab b* 4.4 vs 2.8). Snowbound reads neutral white; Drift of Mist reads greige.
- North rooms
- Snowbound: keeps more brightness (L* 88.9 vs 82.5 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 0.4 vs 3.3).
- Trim that works
- Arcade White SW 7100, #F3EEE7, LRV 86: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.2, noticeably different. At 4.2, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Drift of Mist
More comparisons with Drift of Mist
Snowbound (SW 7004) is lighter than Drift of Mist (SW 9166) and slightly cooler: LRV 83 vs 69, deltaE 4.2 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Snowbound | Drift of Mist | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7004 | SW 9166 | |
| Hex | #EDEAE5 | #DCD8D0 | |
| RGB | 237, 234, 229 | 220, 216, 208 | |
| HSL | 37°, 18%, 91% | 40°, 15%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 83 | 69 | +14 |
| Lab L* | 92.8 | 86.5 | +6.3 |
| Lab a* | 0.1 | 0.0 | +0.2 |
| Lab b* | 2.8 | 4.4 | −1.6 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | neutral | |
| Color family | White | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Snowbound (SW 7004), published as #EDEAE5
#DBE0E3
#FFF4E5
Drift of Mist (SW 9166), published as #DCD8D0
#CBCECE
#EEE2D0
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 Snowbound (SW 7004) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 14 LRV points lighter (83 vs 69), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Snowbound (SW 7004) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 2.8 against 4.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Drift of Mist (SW 9166) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 4.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Snowbound in other brands
Closest matches to Drift of Mist in other brands
Common questions
- Is Snowbound the same color as Drift of Mist?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.2. Most people can see the difference between Snowbound and Drift of Mist side by side.
- Which is lighter, Snowbound or Drift of Mist?
- Snowbound, with an LRV of 83 against 69.
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.