Alabaster (SW 7008) vs Shoji White (SW 7042)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Alabaster, LRV 82 vs 74.
- Warmer
- Shoji White, both warm white (Lab b* 6.7 vs 5.2).
- North rooms
- Alabaster: keeps more brightness (L* 88.8 vs 85.2 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.2 vs 4.6).
- Trim that works
- Shell White SW 8917, #F0EBE0, LRV 83: the Sherwin-Williams 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
Alabaster (SW 7008) is lighter than Shoji White (SW 7042) and slightly cooler: LRV 82 vs 74, deltaE 3.0 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Alabaster | Shoji White | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7008 | SW 7042 | |
| Hex | #EDEAE0 | #E6DFD3 | |
| RGB | 237, 234, 224 | 230, 223, 211 | |
| HSL | 46°, 27%, 90% | 38°, 28%, 86% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 82 | 74 | +8 |
| Lab L* | 92.7 | 89.1 | +3.6 |
| Lab a* | -0.7 | 0.3 | −1.1 |
| Lab b* | 5.2 | 6.7 | −1.5 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | White | Off-white |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Alabaster (SW 7008), published as #EDEAE0
#DBE0DE
#FFF4E0
Shoji White (SW 7042), published as #E6DFD3
#D5D5D1
#F8E9D3
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 8 LRV points lighter (82 vs 74), 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 6.7, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Shoji White (SW 7042) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 6.7), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Alabaster in other brands
Closest matches to Shoji White in other brands
Common questions
- Is Alabaster the same color as Shoji White?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.0. Most people can see the difference between Alabaster and Shoji White side by side.
- Which is lighter, Alabaster or Shoji White?
- Alabaster, with an LRV of 82 against 74.
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.