Sherwin-Williams Pure WhitevsBenjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Why this comparison: SW’s favorite trim white against BM’s — the cross-brand “cleanest white” face-off. Pure White and Chantilly Lace are very close (ΔE 2.43). 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
Chantilly Lace is slightly lighter (LRV 91 vs 84, 7-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A soft white with the smallest possible drop of warmth in it, and the reason it works is how little of that warmth there is. Most warm whites are built on a yellow oxide base you can see on the chip; Pure White carries a trace of yellow cut with a touch of gray, so on a wall it reads as white first and warm second. Painters describe it as the least warm of the warm whites, and that is exactly right. It is the white you pick when cream would be too much and a cool white would be too cold.
At LRV 84 it puts most of the light back into the room, but it is not a bright white and it does not pretend to be. Stand it next to High Reflective White (LRV 93) and Pure White suddenly shows its body: you can see the color sitting in it. Even Extra White, only two points higher on paper, looks noticeably cleaner and cooler beside it. That small gap is the useful part. On trim it reads as painted woodwork instead of plastic, and on a wall it softens shadows in a way a bright white cannot.
This is as close as Benjamin Moore gets to a white with nothing in it. Most whites are built on a drop of something — yellow oxide for the creams, black or blue for the cool ones — and that drop is what you eventually see on the wall. Chantilly Lace has almost nothing to see. There is a whisper of gray in the mix, just enough to keep it from glaring, and that is the entire recipe. Put it next to Decorator's White OC-149 and you notice Decorator's White is faintly gray-violet; next to Super White OC-152 you notice Super White is faintly blue. Chantilly Lace is the one that just reads white.
At LRV 90 it sits at the top of the Benjamin Moore deck. Simply White OC-117 is a point behind at 91, and in most rooms you would need the two chips touching to tell them apart — the real difference there is direction, not brightness. White Dove OC-17 is the useful comparison: at 85 it is seven points softer, and seven points is the gap between "a painted wall" and "a white wall." That is why White Dove flatters a room and Chantilly Lace reports on it. High LRV also means high honesty — every seam, every roller lap, every patch of bad drywall shows up, so sand and skim more than you think you need to.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Pure White | Chantilly Lace |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Benjamin Moore |
| SKU | SW 7005 | 2121-70 |
| Hex | #EDECE6 | #F4F6F1 |
| RGB | 237, 236, 230 | 244, 246, 241 |
| LRV | 84 | 91 |
| Undertone | yellow / warm | near-white |
| Family | White | White |
How Light Changes Them
Warm sun all day keeps it soft and glowing. It creams up slightly, never yellow.
Cool daylight cancels the small warm lean. It can go flat or faintly blue — sample first.
2700K lamps make it soft cream. 3500–4000K keeps it a true white. Swap bulbs, not paint.
LRV 84 does the work — a powder room or hall still reads bright and open.
Cool gray daylight has nothing to fight, so it wins. Reads gray-blue and flat, worst in winter.
Bright and clean all day. The faint warmth in the mix keeps it from glaring back at you.
2700K bulbs soften it toward ivory at night. 3500–4000K keeps the crisp white you bought.
Its best job. Bounces almost all the light a hallway, powder room, or basement can give it.
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
Trim, doors, and built-ins in a warm home · kitchen and bath cabinets · whole-house walls with decent daylight · warm-white exteriors with black windows
A brighter builder white is staying on trim or ceiling · the room is dim and faces north · your windows have blue-tinted low-E glass · you want a sharp gallery-white look
Trim, doors, and ceilings in almost any house · modern and high-contrast rooms · white kitchen cabinets next to white quartz · small or windowless rooms that need maximum bounce
Your room is north-facing and dim · you are keeping the old builder-white ceiling · you want cozy, not clean · you are painting over beige and only have time for two coats
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Pure White vs Chantilly Lace FAQ
Which is lighter, Pure White or Chantilly Lace?
Chantilly Lace is lighter: LRV 91 vs 84. Chantilly Lace is slightly lighter (LRV 91 vs 84, 7-point delta).
Which is warmer, Pure White or Chantilly Lace?
Pure White is the warmer of the two (yellow / warm); Chantilly Lace reads near-white.
How similar are Pure White and Chantilly Lace?
Pure White and Chantilly Lace are very close (ΔE 2.43). 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 Pure White and Chantilly Lace together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 2.43 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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