Sherwin-Williams AlabastervsBenjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
Why this comparison: Two famous warm whites — BM’s Swiss Coffee is creamier, Alabaster more neutral. Alabaster and Swiss Coffee are visually nearly identical (ΔE 0.83). 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
LRV is essentially equal (82 vs 82) — both reflect light the same.
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 creamy off-white with real pigment in it — the cream is not a rumor. The hue sits at 44 degrees, squarely in the yellow-gold part of the wheel, and there is a faint green-gray drag on top of it that keeps the yellow from going candy-sweet. That drag is why designers describe Swiss Coffee as "soft" rather than "buttery," and it is also why a few people swear their walls flashed green next to a cool gray floor. Both reactions are the same paint doing the same thing under different neighbors.
At LRV 82 it reflects almost as much light as the brightest whites, and that is the part most people get wrong. Next to White Dove OC-17 at LRV 85, Swiss Coffee is not darker in any meaningful way — it is warmer. Compare it to Alabaster SW 7008 at LRV 82 and Swiss Coffee is actually the lighter of the two, just more golden. So the choice is never about brightness. It is about how much cream you want to see, and how warm your light already is before the paint goes on.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Alabaster | Swiss Coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Benjamin Moore |
| SKU | SW 7008 | OC-45 |
| Hex | #EDEAE0 | #EEECE1 |
| RGB | 237, 234, 224 | 238, 236, 225 |
| LRV | 82 | 82 |
| 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 daylight cancels the gold. Reads as a plain, easy soft white — its safest room.
Direct sun pushes the cream forward. By late afternoon the walls can glow yellow.
2700K lamps deepen it toward butter. 3500K–4000K bulbs pull it back to white.
At LRV 82 it lifts a dark room beautifully — as long as the bulbs are not warm.
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 and trim in one soft color · dim hallways, stairwells and windowless baths · kitchen cabinets with wood counters and brass · older homes with heavy millwork and warm floors
Your ceiling or trim stays a bright builder white · a south-facing room blazes all afternoon · your floors, tile or counters are cool gray · you want a crisp modern gallery white
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?
They are practically the same lightness — LRV 82 vs 82. Neither will make the room brighter than the other.
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 0.83). 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 0.83 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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