Alabaster (SW 7008) vs White Sesame (SW 9586)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Alabaster, LRV 82 vs 71.
- Warmer
- White Sesame (Lab b* 7.9 vs 5.2). Alabaster reads warm white; White Sesame reads greige.
- North rooms
- Alabaster: keeps more brightness (L* 88.8 vs 83.8 in north light) and drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.2 vs 4.7).
- Trim that works
- Panda White SW 6147, #EAE2D4, LRV 77: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.0, noticeably different. At 4.0, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Alabaster (SW 7008) is lighter than White Sesame (SW 9586) and slightly cooler: LRV 82 vs 71, deltaE 4.0 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Alabaster | White Sesame | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7008 | SW 9586 | |
| Hex | #EDEAE0 | #E3DBCD | |
| RGB | 237, 234, 224 | 227, 219, 205 | |
| HSL | 46°, 27%, 90% | 38°, 28%, 85% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 82 | 71 | +11 |
| Lab L* | 92.7 | 87.7 | +5.0 |
| Lab a* | -0.7 | 0.4 | −1.1 |
| Lab b* | 5.2 | 7.9 | −2.6 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | White | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Alabaster (SW 7008), published as #EDEAE0
#DBE0DE
#FFF4E0
White Sesame (SW 9586), published as #E3DBCD
#D2D1CB
#F5E5CD
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 11 LRV points lighter (82 vs 71), 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 7.9, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick White Sesame (SW 9586) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 7.9), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Alabaster in other brands
Closest matches to White Sesame in other brands
Common questions
- Is Alabaster the same color as White Sesame?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.0. Most people can see the difference between Alabaster and White Sesame side by side.
- Which is lighter, Alabaster or White Sesame?
- Alabaster, with an LRV of 82 against 71.
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.