Sherwin-Williams AlabastervsBehr Swiss Coffee
Why this comparison: Behr’s best-selling white against SW’s — the big-box vs paint-store soft white question. Alabaster and Swiss Coffee are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.4). Most eyes can't tell them apart on a wall — pick whichever is easier to source.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
Swiss Coffee is slightly lighter (LRV 85 vs 82, 3-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A warm off-white built on a yellow-beige base, with a small amount of grey mixed back in to keep the yellow from going buttery. That grey is the reason Alabaster became a default instead of a cream: it takes the edge off the warmth so the wall reads "soft white" rather than "antique." The trade-off is that the grey is not a pure grey — there is a faint green thread running through it, and it stays invisible only while the yellow is doing its job. Cancel the yellow and the green half of the mix is what you are left looking at.
At LRV 82 it bounces back most of the light in the room, so it behaves like a white in daily use — but it is not a bright white, and the gap shows the moment a truly bright one is in frame. Extra White SW 7006 sits at 86 and High Reflective White SW 7757 at 93; next to either, Alabaster suddenly has visible body and looks like a color rather than a blank. On its own wall, with nothing brighter nearby, your eye adapts within a minute and simply calls it white. That is the whole reason it photographs so well and why it has been Sherwin-Williams' most-specified white for a decade.
A cream that gets away with calling itself a white. Swiss Coffee's hue sits at the orange edge of yellow, and unlike most off-whites it does not gray that warmth down — there is no dose of taupe or greige holding it back. What saves it is lightness: at 87 percent lightness the warmth spreads thin and reads as soft cream instead of yellow paint. Cover a whole room, though, and the warmth stacks up. The gallon behaves warmer than the chip, which is the single most common surprise people report.
LRV 87 puts it in bright-but-not-blinding territory. Against Behr Ultra Pure White (1850) at LRV 92 the difference is not subtle — Swiss Coffee suddenly looks like coffee with a lot of milk in it, and that twelve-point gap is exactly why bright white trim can make these walls look unwashed. Against Benjamin Moore's Swiss Coffee (OC-45) at LRV 84, Behr's version is the deeper, creamier of the two. It has body, and in a dim room you can see it.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Alabaster | Swiss Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Behr |
| SKU | SW 7008 | 12 |
| Hex | #EDEAE0 | #F1EDE0 |
| RGB | 237, 234, 224 | 241, 237, 224 |
| LRV | 82 | 85 |
| Undertone | yellow / warm | yellow / warm |
| Family | White | White |
How Light Changes Them
The cream comes forward and the room feels sunlit even on grey days. Late sun pushes it slightly buttery.
Cool daylight cancels the yellow and the green-grey base shows. This is where people repaint.
2700K lamps make it cozy cream. 4000K keeps it crisp. Change the bulbs before you change the paint.
At LRV 82 a powder room or hallway still reads bright, and the warmth feels cozy instead of cave-like.
Cool gray daylight cancels some of the cream. This is where Swiss Coffee is at its most balanced — warm, not yellow.
Steady warm sun pushes it to soft butter around midday. Most people like it; sample a big patch anyway.
2700K bulbs are where the complaints start. Try 3000K–3500K before you blame the paint.
Richest at sunrise in east rooms, at sunset in west ones. Quiet and near-white the rest of the day.
Both Colors in Real Rooms
Photos from our full reviews — the same rooms and captions, so you can judge each color where it actually lives, not on a chip.
When to Pick Which
Kitchen and bath cabinets · trim and interior doors · south and east rooms · houses with oak, brass, or cream-toned stone
Your room faces north and is dim · your tile, quartz, or appliances are stark white · your floors are cool grey · you want a crisp modern gallery white
Whole-house walls in homes with oak or walnut floors · older houses with lots of trim · kitchen cabinets with brass and butcher block · anyone who finds bright whites cold
Your ceiling and trim stay builder bright white · your counters are stark white quartz · your floors are cool gray LVP · you want a crisp modern gallery look
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Alabaster vs Swiss Coffee FAQ
Which is lighter, Alabaster or Swiss Coffee?
Swiss Coffee is lighter: LRV 85 vs 82. Swiss Coffee is slightly lighter (LRV 85 vs 82, 3-point delta).
Which is warmer, Alabaster or Swiss Coffee?
They share the same undertone family — both read yellow / warm. The difference between them is lightness and depth, not temperature.
How similar are Alabaster and Swiss Coffee?
Alabaster and Swiss Coffee are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.4). Most eyes can't tell them apart on a wall — pick whichever is easier to source. The only reliable test is seeing both in your own room and light — a side-by-side on a screen or chip flattens the difference.
Can I use Alabaster and Swiss Coffee together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 1.4 they are so close that two walls in each will read as a tinting mistake, not a design choice. Pick one, or keep them on different floors where they are never seen together.
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