Sherwin-Williams Pure WhitevsSherwin-Williams Extra White
Why this comparison: SW’s two trim-white defaults — Extra White is cooler and brighter, Pure White takes the edge off. Pure White and Extra White are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.13). 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 (84 vs 86) — both reflect light the same.
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.
A near-white that behaves cool. On the chip there is a whisper of body — enough that it is not the dead, colorless white of a printer page — but in a real room that whisper reads clean and slightly cool, not creamy. Most people describe it as crisp; a few catch a faint blue-green note when it sits beside a warm white. That is the whole point of the color. Sherwin-Williams sells warmer whites for warmth; Extra White exists to be the sharp, neutral-looking edge that makes everything next to it look deliberate.
At LRV 86 it reflects more light than almost anything else you will put on a wall, but it is not the brightest white SW makes. High Reflective White (SW 7757) sits at LRV 93 and next to it Extra White suddenly shows a little softness. The useful comparison is the other direction: against Pure White (SW 7005, LRV 84) Extra White reads a step brighter and noticeably cooler, and that two-point gap is bigger in practice than it looks on paper. It is the difference between trim that snaps and trim that settles.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Pure White | Extra White |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 7005 | SW 7006 |
| Hex | #EDECE6 | #EEEFEA |
| RGB | 237, 236, 230 | 238, 239, 234 |
| LRV | 84 | 86 |
| 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 daylight stacks on a cool white. It reads gray-blue and flat. Warm the bulbs or pick Snowbound.
Crisp and clean in the morning, close to glare at midday. Great for trim, hard for a whole wall.
2700K lamps warm it into something almost soft. 4000K keeps it clinical — choose your bulbs on purpose.
Interior baths, laundries and closets: the high reflectance does the work a window cannot.
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 casing in an SW-spec house · kitchen and bath cabinets against gray or bold walls · ceilings in rooms that need height · modern and new-build rooms with cool gray floors
Your room faces north and stays dim · the rest of your whites are warm creams · you want cozy and traditional · your oak floors and brass are the star of the room
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 Extra White FAQ
Which is lighter, Pure White or Extra White?
They are practically the same lightness — LRV 84 vs 86. Neither will make the room brighter than the other.
Which is warmer, Pure White or Extra White?
Pure White is the warmer of the two (yellow / warm); Extra White reads near-white.
How similar are Pure White and Extra White?
Pure White and Extra White are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.13). 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 Pure White and Extra White together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 1.13 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.
Ask a Question