The Color Digest · Compare
Settled, side by side
Pure White
Sherwin-Williams · SW 7005
The white that stays out of the way
Extra White
Sherwin-Williams · SW 7006
Gallery white
In real rooms
Every room, each colorThe difference
Read from the numbersExtra White is the lighter of the two at LRV 86, 2 points above Pure White at LRV 84. Pure White leans neutral where Extra White reads cool. Both belong to the whites family. For a whole room, Extra White is the safer, more forgiving choice thanks to its higher LRV, while Pure White is the bolder pick.
How they read
In their own wordsPure 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.
Extra White is a bright, slightly cool white — the closest Sherwin-Williams gets to a gallery wall. At LRV 86 it is crisp and reflective, with a faint blue-grey lean that keeps it clean rather than creamy. It is the white for architecture: plaster reliefs, coffered ceilings, a bank of steel windows.