Alabaster (SW 7008) vs Drift of Mist (SW 9166)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Alabaster, LRV 82 vs 69.
- Warmer
- About the same (Lab b* 5.2 vs 4.4). Alabaster reads warm white; Drift of Mist reads greige.
- North rooms
- Alabaster keeps more brightness (L* 88.8 vs 82.5 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Cotton SW 9581, #EEEBE1, LRV 83: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.1, noticeably different. At 4.1, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Drift of Mist
More comparisons with Drift of Mist
Alabaster (SW 7008) is lighter than Drift of Mist (SW 9166) and about as warm: LRV 82 vs 69, deltaE 4.1 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Alabaster | Drift of Mist | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7008 | SW 9166 | |
| Hex | #EDEAE0 | #DCD8D0 | |
| RGB | 237, 234, 224 | 220, 216, 208 | |
| HSL | 46°, 27%, 90% | 40°, 15%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 82 | 69 | +13 |
| Lab L* | 92.7 | 86.5 | +6.2 |
| Lab a* | -0.7 | 0.0 | −0.7 |
| Lab b* | 5.2 | 4.4 | +0.8 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | neutral | |
| Color family | White | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Alabaster (SW 7008), published as #EDEAE0
#DBE0DE
#FFF4E0
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 Alabaster (SW 7008) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 13 LRV points lighter (82 vs 69), so it bounces back more of the limited light
Closest matches to Alabaster in other brands
Closest matches to Drift of Mist in other brands
Common questions
- Is Alabaster the same color as Drift of Mist?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.1. Most people can see the difference between Alabaster and Drift of Mist side by side.
- Which is lighter, Alabaster or Drift of Mist?
- Alabaster, with an LRV of 82 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.