Linen White
OC-146 · Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore
Linen White
OC-146
Noticeable yellow-beige, a warm color
- Color family
- White
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Benjamin Moore Linen White OC-146 is a creamy white, one of the warmest colors that still counts as a white rather than a beige. Its LRV of 81 keeps a room bright, close to the brightness of a soft white, while the cream in it stays visible in daylight. It has been used for decades on trim, doors and ceilings in older houses, and it is still the default warm white for millwork with an aged finish.
Is Linen White warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans yellow
Undertone
Noticeable yellow-beige
A visible lean you see in daylight.
The lean here is yellow and only yellow: a good deal of it, with no red and barely any green to mute it. That combination is unusual at this brightness, and it explains the color's reputation. Most whites near its lightness carry a fraction of the yellow it does, so beside Swiss Coffee OC-45, which is almost the same brightness, Linen White is the one that looks like cream. Against modern cool marble or a blue-gray floor the yellow can look dated; against aged oak, old brass and unbleached fabric it reads as an old plaster white and lands well.
Linen White in north, south, east and west light
North rooms are the exposure that flatters it most, since cool northern light cancels part of the yellow and leaves a warm, soft white instead of a cream. That is the one place Linen White reads as a neutral. Everywhere else its warmth is the headline: a south room in the afternoon takes it well past cream, and a west wall at sunset can look faintly gold. East light gives it a clean hour after sunrise and lets it settle by lunchtime. Bulbs matter more than usual here, and anything above 3000K will make the yellow look green rather than removing it.
Watch for
- On a ceiling above white trim it reads clearly cream, not white
- Cool LED downlights turn its yellow slightly green
- Next to a modern white quartz counter the cream looks like a mismatch
Best rooms and surfaces for Linen White
Linen White is trim paint as much as wall paint. On baseboards, casings and paneling in a house with warm floors it gives the millwork body without the glare of a bright white, and it is the traditional partner for stained doors. On walls it suits a dining room, a study or a bedroom with linen and wood, where the cream is the point. In a kitchen with white quartz and cool tile it looks yellow rather than warm, and in a bathroom with gray porcelain it looks out of place. As a whole-house color it works only when the floors, stone and fabrics are warm too, since it sets the temperature for everything else.
Linen White on an exterior
Benjamin Moore sells Linen White for exterior use, and outdoors it is a classic trim and column color rather than a body color, though it works as both. Sun takes the edge off the cream and leaves a warm white that keeps its softness against a green landscape. In shade the yellow returns, so soffits and porch ceilings look creamier than the sunlit face of the same house. It sits well against a dark or muted body color and a black roof, where a colder white would read blue.
Try Linen White on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Linen White onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.
Trusted by 19,897+ happy homeowners
Linen White vs Swiss Coffee, White Dove, Navajo White and Alabaster
Swiss CoffeeLinen WhiteLinen White vs Swiss Coffee OC-45
Linen White is a touch darker; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs subtle yellow-beige.
These two sit at almost the same lightness, so the choice is only about warmth. Swiss Coffee OC-45 holds a little over half the yellow of Linen White, which is why it passes as a soft white in a modern kitchen while Linen White reads cream in the same room. If the whites, stone and tile around it are cool, Swiss Coffee is the safer of the pair. If the room is full of wood and old brass, Linen White will look like it belongs.
White DoveLinen WhiteLinen White vs White Dove OC-17
Linen White is a touch darker; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs subtle yellow-leaning green.
White Dove OC-17 measures about two points brighter, and it is the difference in undertone that separates them, not the difference in lightness. White Dove's small amount of yellow is checked by a trace of green, so it stays a quiet white; Linen White's yellow runs free. Trim in White Dove above Linen White walls gives a soft, warm room; the reverse pairing makes the trim look yellowed.
Navajo WhiteLinen WhiteLinen White vs Navajo White OC-95
Linen White is a touch lighter; both have a noticeable yellow-beige undertone.
Navajo White OC-95 is the closer relative, about two and a half points darker and a shade more yellow again. On a single wall few people could name which is which. Across a whole house the difference shows: Navajo White pushes toward the builder-grade cream of the 1990s, while Linen White keeps enough brightness to still read as a white. Use Navajo White where you want the color obvious, Linen White where you want the warmth without the weight.
AlabasterLinen WhiteLinen White vs Alabaster SW 7008
Linen White is a touch darker; undertone noticeable yellow-beige vs subtle yellow-beige.
Alabaster SW 7008 is about a point brighter and carries roughly half the yellow, so it is a warm white that still looks white, where Linen White looks like cream. Alabaster is the safer choice in a house with cool floors, quartz counters or black metal. Linen White is the better answer for old woodwork, since Alabaster next to aged trim can make the trim look dingy rather than intentional.
Questions about Linen White
What colors go with Linen White?
Benjamin Moore's own scheme for it runs Simply White OC-117 as the bright partner, then Golden Tan 2152-40, Alexandria Beige HC-77 and Farm Fresh AF-360, all warm. That is a deliberately warm palette, so if you want contrast, bring it from a muted green, a deep blue or black hardware rather than from another cream. Aged brass, oiled wood and wicker all sit with it naturally.
Does Linen White look yellow?
Yes, more than most whites at its brightness, and that is the point of the color. The measurement is nearly pure yellow with almost nothing muting it. In north light it reads as a warm white. In afternoon south light, under 2700K bulbs, or next to a cool white, the yellow is unmistakable and should be expected rather than treated as a fault.
Is there a Sherwin-Williams version of Linen White?
Restful White SW 7563 is the closest by measurement and is very close indeed, nearly the same brightness and nearly the same amount of yellow. Paperwhite SW 7105 is next, a little brighter. Dover White SW 6385, the one with a full page here, is close as well and slightly less yellow. Across brands, White Tie No. 2002 from Farrow & Ball is nearest of all.
Are Linen White OC-146 and 912 the same color?
Yes. Benjamin Moore sells the same paint under more than one number when a color appears in more than one deck, and Linen White 912 is the same formula as OC-146. Ask for either at the counter and you get the same can. The OC number is the one printed in the Off White Collection, which is why most fan decks show it that way.
What is one shade darker than Linen White?
It carries no fan-deck strip, so the neighbors do the work. Navajo White OC-95 is the closest step down, about two and a half points darker with a touch more yellow. Above it, Timid White OC-39 is roughly a point and a half lighter and slightly quieter, and Sugar Cookie OC-93 is a clear step brighter while keeping the cream.
Get a sample before you paint
Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Linen White, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
- Made with real paint
- Delivered next day
- Peels off clean
4.8 · 1,842 reviews
