Shoji White (SW 7042) vs Drift of Mist (SW 9166)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Shoji White, LRV 74 vs 69.
- Warmer
- Shoji White (Lab b* 6.7 vs 4.4). Shoji White reads warm white; Drift of Mist reads greige.
- North rooms
- Shoji White keeps more brightness (L* 85.2 vs 82.5 in north light); Drift of Mist drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.3 vs 4.6).
- Trim that works
- Frost Bite SW 9505, #F6F0E5, LRV 88: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.5, noticeably different. At 2.5, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Drift of Mist
More comparisons with Drift of Mist
Shoji White (SW 7042) is lighter than Drift of Mist (SW 9166) and slightly warmer: LRV 74 vs 69, deltaE 2.5 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Shoji White | Drift of Mist | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7042 | SW 9166 | |
| Hex | #E6DFD3 | #DCD8D0 | |
| RGB | 230, 223, 211 | 220, 216, 208 | |
| HSL | 38°, 28%, 86% | 40°, 15%, 84% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 74 | 69 | +5 |
| Lab L* | 89.1 | 86.5 | +2.6 |
| Lab a* | 0.3 | 0.0 | +0.4 |
| Lab b* | 6.7 | 4.4 | +2.3 |
| Undertone | Warm | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | neutral | |
| Color family | Off-white | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Shoji White (SW 7042), published as #E6DFD3
#D5D5D1
#F8E9D3
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 Shoji White (SW 7042) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 5 LRV points lighter (74 vs 69), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Drift of Mist (SW 9166) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 4.4 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 Shoji White in other brands
Closest matches to Drift of Mist in other brands
Common questions
- Is Shoji White the same color as Drift of Mist?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.5. Most people can see the difference between Shoji White and Drift of Mist side by side.
- Which is lighter, Shoji White or Drift of Mist?
- Shoji White, with an LRV of 74 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.