Alabaster (SW 7008) vs Natural Choice (SW 7011)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Alabaster, LRV 82 vs 73.
- Warmer
- Natural Choice, both warm white (Lab b* 7.5 vs 5.2).
- North rooms
- Alabaster: keeps more brightness (L* 88.8 vs 84.6 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.2 vs 4.2).
- Trim that works
- Cotton SW 9581, #EEEBE1, LRV 83: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 3.1, noticeably different. At 3.1, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Natural Choice
More comparisons with Natural Choice
Alabaster (SW 7008) is lighter than Natural Choice (SW 7011) and slightly cooler: LRV 82 vs 73, deltaE 3.1 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Alabaster | Natural Choice | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7008 | SW 7011 | |
| Hex | #EDEAE0 | #E3DED0 | |
| RGB | 237, 234, 224 | 227, 222, 208 | |
| HSL | 46°, 27%, 90% | 44°, 25%, 85% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 82 | 73 | +9 |
| Lab L* | 92.7 | 88.5 | +4.2 |
| Lab a* | -0.7 | -0.7 | −0.0 |
| Lab b* | 5.2 | 7.5 | −2.3 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | White | Off-white |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Alabaster (SW 7008), published as #EDEAE0
#DBE0DE
#FFF4E0
Natural Choice (SW 7011), published as #E3DED0
#D2D4CE
#F5E8D0
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 9 LRV points lighter (82 vs 73), 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 7.5, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Natural Choice (SW 7011) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 7.5), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Alabaster in other brands
Closest matches to Natural Choice in other brands
Common questions
- Is Alabaster the same color as Natural Choice?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.1. Most people can see the difference between Alabaster and Natural Choice side by side.
- Which is lighter, Alabaster or Natural Choice?
- Alabaster, with an LRV of 82 against 73.
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.