Thunder vs Pure White
Where Thunder belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Pure White is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Thunder belongs to the greige-grey family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Thunder (LRV 48), a difference of 36 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Thunder runs red while Pure White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 18.7, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Thunder vs Pure White in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Thunder and Pure White in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Pure White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Thunder would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thunder.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thunder.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thunder.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Thunder.
Color Details
Thunder vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Thunder on one side and Pure White on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Thunder comparisons
See how Thunder stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 48), opening up a space where Thunder encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (52 vs 48) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 48 vs 30, Thunder is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 48, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 48), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Thunder reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (48 vs 43) makes Thunder the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 48), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Thunder reads slightly lighter (LRV 48 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 48), opening up a space where Thunder encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 48), opening up a space where Thunder encloses it.
Thunder reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 48), opening up a space where Thunder encloses it.
Thunder reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 48 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 48 vs 31, Thunder is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 48 vs 7, Thunder is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 48 vs 24, Thunder is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (57 vs 48) makes Guilford Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 72 vs 48, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.