Get Hue, Value, Chroma and LRV for Paint Colors
What is the Color Category?
WHITE – because of its Value of 9.34 and Chroma of 0.44. It’s light and bright but not stark thanks to its Chroma of 0.44.
Just enough colorfulness to knock it back from a bright white. Crisp, clean and subdued without being glaring or clinical.
Chroma of 0.44 is important to note.
Because if you look at the brackets below, you’ll see that Pure White is weighted on the heavier end of Chroma for a color of white.
That means it’s not a super neutral or “clean” white.
For those who perceive some white paint colors as stark, this color is a good option for you.
How can we so clearly and concisely categorize color of whites and off-whites? Because we have hue, value, chroma and LRV color notations that describe what colors look like. So, we can easily eliminate confusion and chaos. Making the task of sorting and categorizing paint colors fun and an absolute pleasure:
Pure White SW 7005 Hue Family
In context of its Hue Family neighborhood, 9 Y (Yellow), on The Color Strategist Color Wheel. The pink arrows point to where it fits in among the other colors according to its Value 9.34 rounded to 9.38 and Chroma of 0.44 rounded to 0.50.
To confirm, one could pair SW Pure White walls (satin or eggshell) with existing BM Chantilly Lace trim? There is a .19 Chroma difference. Chantilly Lace eggshell walls look blue when compared to Chantilly Lace trim, so I’m thinking PW might be a good choice as their is a tiny bit of warmth.
Hi Carla. The pairing is a little short of my 0.20 difference in Chroma guideline but I’d say it’s plausible. Whether it truly works or not depends on the lighting, context and whether you think they look pretty together or not.
Hi Lori, Could this be a good paint for exterior stucco with western exposure and no trees around? Or would this be too blindingly bright in the afternoon? Thank you
You are correct. Pure White is too bright.
The brightest I would go exterior is an off-white like SW’s Creamy.
Off-White meaning a Munsell Value 9.12 to 10 and Munsell Chroma 0.55 to 1.15. The Paint Color DNA Table has shortcut boxes and when you check them it sorts the colors in to White, Off-White, Light Near Neutral or Near Neutral categories. So you don’t have to remember the brackets. Just click the box you want and hit the magnifying glass icon in the search bar to activate the Table.
Also consider colors with more nuance (darker and more colorful). E.g. Manchester Tan, Eider White, Balboa Mist, Greek Villa, Light Pewter. Even Revere Pewter.