Sherwin-Williams AlabastervsSherwin-Williams White Duck
Why this comparison: White Duck adds visible greige; Alabaster stays closer to true white. Alabaster and White Duck are very close (ΔE 2.86). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
Alabaster is slightly lighter (LRV 82 vs 74, 8-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.
White Duck is a warm off-white built on beige, with a small amount of green-gray mixed in to stop the beige from tipping butter-yellow. That green-gray is the whole story of this color. Most of the time you never notice it — it just makes the warmth read soft and slightly aged instead of creamy, which is exactly why designers hand it to clients who say "warm, but not yellow." It is also why the same paint gets called the perfect warm white by one person and "weirdly green" by the next. Both of them are describing the same can.
At LRV 74 it bounces a lot of light around a room, but it is clearly not a white. Put it beside Alabaster SW 7008 at LRV 82 and the eight-point gap does something useful: Alabaster reads as white, and White Duck suddenly shows its body — a soft tan-greige you cannot quite name. That is the trade. You give up the bright-white look and you get a wall that has some color in it, which is why it holds up so well across an open plan where the light changes room to room.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Alabaster | White Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 7008 | SW 7010 |
| Hex | #EDEAE0 | #E5DFD2 |
| RGB | 237, 234, 224 | 229, 223, 210 |
| LRV | 82 | 74 |
| Undertone | yellow / warm | red-orange / warm |
| Family | White | Neutral |
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.
Lightest and warmest here, and the green cast is basically invisible. Whole-house safe.
Cool daylight strips the warmth and leaves the green-gray showing. Test big samples first.
Creamy at the sun hours, soft greige the rest of the day. Most people like the swing.
2700K lamps: cozy and creamy. 4000K LEDs: gray and green. Change bulbs before you change paint.
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 south or west daylight · kitchens with white oak, brass and warm stone · cabinets that should not look factory-white · softening a room that has too much bright white in it
Your room faces north and stays dim · your trim is a bright builder white you are keeping · your floors are cool gray LVP · 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 White Duck FAQ
Which is lighter, Alabaster or White Duck?
Alabaster is lighter: LRV 82 vs 74. Alabaster is slightly lighter (LRV 82 vs 74, 8-point delta).
Which is warmer, Alabaster or White Duck?
They sit in the same temperature family: Alabaster reads yellow / warm, White Duck reads red-orange / warm. Side by side, undertone is not the deciding factor here.
How similar are Alabaster and White Duck?
Alabaster and White Duck are very close (ΔE 2.86). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light. 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 White Duck together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 2.86 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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