Color of the weekCalke Green · Farrow & Ball No. 34

Settled, side by side

China White

Benjamin Moore · OC-141

Pure White

Sherwin-Williams · SW 7005

76.43
LRV
84
Pure White is 7.6 points lighter
#E7E4D9
Hex
#EDECE6
231 · 228 · 217
RGB
237 · 236 · 230
Cool
Warmth
Neutral
China White is cool; Pure White is neutral.
Soft white with gray undertones; quieter than a bright white
Undertone
A true soft white with a touch of grey and a touch of warmth; neither cool nor creamy
White
Family
White
Off-White
Collection
White & Pastel

In real rooms

Every room, each color

China White

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Pure White

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The difference

Read from the numbers

Pure White is the lighter of the two at LRV 84, 7.6 points above China White at LRV 76.43. China White leans cool where Pure White reads neutral. Both belong to the white family. For a whole room, Pure White is the safer, more forgiving choice thanks to its higher LRV, while China White is the bolder pick.

How they read

In their own words

China White is Benjamin Moore OC-141, from the Off-White collection. The brand says "cool gray undertones freshen up this shade of white," and its LRV of 76.43 puts it a step below the brightest whites, so it reads as a calm, slightly shadowed white rather than a glare.

Pure White is one of Sherwin-Williams' most-specified whites for a simple reason: it has almost no agenda. A trace of grey keeps it from glaring, a trace of warmth keeps it from turning blue, and at LRV 84 it is bright without being stark. It is the white you choose when the art, the furniture or the view is the point.

Compare instead

Same family, other pairings

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