Sherwin-Williams Westhighland WhitevsSherwin-Williams Alabaster
Why this comparison: Westhighland White is the warmer, sunnier sibling on SW’s white strip. Westhighland White and Alabaster are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.32). 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
Westhighland White is slightly lighter (LRV 86 vs 82, 4-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A soft, warm off-white built on a yellow-beige base with a touch of grey mixed in to keep it from tipping buttery. In the deck it sits at LRV 86 — by our own white-family scale, that is soft-white-to-cream territory, not the 85-plus range that reads as a true, bright white. Expect Westhighland White to behave like a quiet cream on the wall: it warms a room instead of brightening it, and it will read visibly deeper than a true white sitting next to it.
Here is the honest surprise from researching this color: write-ups genuinely disagree on its undertone. Most describe warm yellow with a hint of beige; a few describe delicate cool blue-grey undertones instead. Both are true, just in different light. At this particular pale, grayed cream, the color really does move more than most whites — warming noticeably under sun and incandescent lamps, and flattening toward a cooler, quieter neutral under overcast skies or cool LEDs. That range is the actual character of the color, not a contradiction to resolve.
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.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Westhighland White | Alabaster |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 7566 | SW 7008 |
| Hex | #F3EEE3 | #EDEAE0 |
| RGB | 243, 238, 227 | 237, 234, 224 |
| LRV | 86 | 82 |
| Undertone | near-white | yellow / warm |
| Family | White | White |
How Light Changes Them
Direct warm sun brings the cream forward and the grey stays quiet. This is the light that shows what the color is for.
Cool, indirect daylight flattens the warmth and can push it toward a dull, slightly grey cream. Sample here before committing.
Warmer and creamier at the sun hours, quieter and more neutral once the direct light passes. A normal, gentle shift through the day.
2700K lamps deepen the cream and make it feel cozy. Cool white LEDs flatten it toward plain and slightly grey — swap the bulbs before repainting.
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.
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
Kitchens and cabinets that want warmth without a yellow flash · exteriors that want a soft farmhouse white instead of a stark one · hallways and open floor plans tying several rooms together · anyone who wants one step warmer than builder white without going full cream
You want a true, 85-plus-LRV bright white for a crisp gallery look · your room is dim, north-facing and short on lamps · your counters or floor lean cool blue-grey · you specifically want a famous, magazine-featured color to talk about
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
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Westhighland White vs Alabaster FAQ
Which is lighter, Westhighland White or Alabaster?
Westhighland White is lighter: LRV 86 vs 82. Westhighland White is slightly lighter (LRV 86 vs 82, 4-point delta).
Which is warmer, Westhighland White or Alabaster?
Alabaster is the warmer of the two (yellow / warm); Westhighland White reads near-white.
How similar are Westhighland White and Alabaster?
Westhighland White and Alabaster are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.32). 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 Westhighland White and Alabaster together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 1.32 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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