Shoji White (SW 7042) vs Kestrel White (SW 7516)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Shoji White, LRV 74 vs 68.
- Warmer
- Kestrel White (Lab b* 8.1 vs 6.7). Shoji White reads warm white; Kestrel White reads greige.
- North rooms
- Shoji White keeps more brightness (L* 85.2 vs 82.1 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Cotton White SW 7104, #F7EFE3, LRV 87: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.4, noticeably different. At 2.4, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Shoji White (SW 7042) is lighter than Kestrel White (SW 7516) and slightly cooler: LRV 74 vs 68, deltaE 2.4 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Shoji White | Kestrel White | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7042 | SW 7516 | |
| Hex | #E6DFD3 | #E0D6C8 | |
| RGB | 230, 223, 211 | 224, 214, 200 | |
| HSL | 38°, 28%, 86% | 35°, 28%, 83% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 74 | 68 | +6 |
| Lab L* | 89.1 | 86.1 | +3.0 |
| Lab a* | 0.3 | 1.1 | −0.7 |
| Lab b* | 6.7 | 8.1 | −1.4 |
| Undertone | Warm | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Shoji White (SW 7042), published as #E6DFD3
#D5D5D1
#F8E9D3
Kestrel White (SW 7516), published as #E0D6C8
#CFCCC6
#F2E0C8
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 Shoji White (SW 7042) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 6 LRV points lighter (74 vs 68), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Shoji White (SW 7042) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 6.7 against 8.1, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Kestrel White (SW 7516) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 8.1), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Shoji White in other brands
Closest matches to Kestrel White in other brands
Common questions
- Is Shoji White the same color as Kestrel White?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.4. Most people can see the difference between Shoji White and Kestrel White side by side.
- Which is lighter, Shoji White or Kestrel White?
- Shoji White, with an LRV of 74 against 68.
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.