Shoji White (SW 7042) vs Natural Linen (SW 9109)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Shoji White, LRV 74 vs 66.
- Warmer
- Natural Linen (Lab b* 9.4 vs 6.7). Shoji White reads warm white; Natural Linen reads greige.
- North rooms
- Shoji White keeps more brightness (L* 85.2 vs 81.2 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 3.5, noticeably different. At 3.5, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Natural Linen
More comparisons with Natural Linen
Shoji White (SW 7042) is lighter than Natural Linen (SW 9109) and slightly cooler: LRV 74 vs 66, deltaE 3.5 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Shoji White | Natural Linen | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7042 | SW 9109 | |
| Hex | #E6DFD3 | #DFD3C3 | |
| RGB | 230, 223, 211 | 223, 211, 195 | |
| HSL | 38°, 28%, 86% | 34°, 30%, 82% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 74 | 66 | +8 |
| Lab L* | 89.1 | 85.1 | +4.0 |
| Lab a* | 0.3 | 1.5 | −1.1 |
| Lab b* | 6.7 | 9.4 | −2.7 |
| Undertone | Warm | Warm | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Off-white | Beige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Shoji White (SW 7042), published as #E6DFD3
#D5D5D1
#F8E9D3
Natural Linen (SW 9109), published as #DFD3C3
#CEC9C1
#F1DDC3
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 8 LRV points lighter (74 vs 66), 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 9.4, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Natural Linen (SW 9109) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 9.4), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Shoji White in other brands
Closest matches to Natural Linen in other brands
Common questions
- Is Shoji White the same color as Natural Linen?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 3.5. Most people can see the difference between Shoji White and Natural Linen side by side.
- Which is lighter, Shoji White or Natural Linen?
- Shoji White, with an LRV of 74 against 66.
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.