The Color Digest · Compare
Settled, side by side
White Dove
Benjamin Moore · OC-17
The soft white designers reach for first
Pure White
Sherwin-Williams · SW 7005
The white that stays out of the way
In real rooms
Every room, each colorThe difference
Read from the numbersPure White is the lighter of the two at LRV 84, 0.8 points above White Dove at LRV 83.16. White Dove leans warm where Pure White reads neutral. Both belong to the whites family. For a whole room, Pure White is the safer, more forgiving choice thanks to its higher LRV, while White Dove is the bolder pick.
How they read
In their own wordsWhite Dove (OC-17) is Benjamin Moore's most-specified soft white — warm, but with a subtle gray-green base that keeps it from going yellow. At LRV 83 it's bright enough to act as a white on walls and trim, yet soft enough to never feel stark.
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.