Cotton White (SW 7104) vs Cotton (SW 9581)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Cotton White, LRV 87 vs 83.
- Warmer
- Cotton White, both warm white (Lab b* 6.8 vs 5.2).
- North rooms
- Cotton White keeps more brightness (L* 90.8 vs 89.1 in north light); Cotton drifts less gray (chroma drop 3.2 vs 4.7).
- 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
Cotton White (SW 7104) is slightly lighter than Cotton (SW 9581) and slightly warmer: LRV 87 vs 83, deltaE 2.5 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Cotton White | Cotton | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 7104 | SW 9581 | |
| Hex | #F7EFE3 | #EEEBE1 | |
| RGB | 247, 239, 227 | 238, 235, 225 | |
| HSL | 36°, 56%, 93% | 46°, 28%, 91% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 87 | 83 | +4 |
| Lab L* | 94.8 | 93.0 | +1.7 |
| Lab a* | 0.7 | -0.7 | +1.4 |
| Lab b* | 6.8 | 5.2 | +1.5 |
| Undertone | Warm | Neutral | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | White | White |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Cotton White (SW 7104), published as #F7EFE3
#E5E5E1
#FFF9E3
Cotton (SW 9581), published as #EEEBE1
#DCE1DF
#FFF5E1
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 Cotton White (SW 7104) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 4 LRV points lighter (87 vs 83), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Cotton (SW 9581) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.2 against 6.8, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Cotton White (SW 7104) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 6.8), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Cotton White in other brands
Closest matches to Cotton in other brands
Common questions
- Is Cotton White the same color as Cotton?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.5. Most people can see the difference between Cotton White and Cotton side by side.
- Which is lighter, Cotton White or Cotton?
- Cotton White, with an LRV of 87 against 83.
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.