Linen vs Snow

Linen and Snow are both whites, but they are not the same color: the measured difference between their classic values is ΔE 5.2, noticeably different side by side.

Linen

RGB: 250, 240, 230
HSL: 30, 67%, 94%
OKLCH: 96.0% 0.017 67.6

Temperature: neutral, leaning warm (subtle orange undertone in this near-neutral)

Closest encyclopedia entry: Linen

Snow

RGB: 255, 250, 250
HSL: 0, 100%, 99%
OKLCH: 98.9% 0.005 17.2

Temperature: neutral, leaning warm (subtle red undertone in this near-neutral)

Closest encyclopedia entry: Snow

Measured difference: ΔE 5.2 · noticeably different side by side. ΔE is a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart.

Guide

How to tell Linen and Snow apart

1 Their hues sit 50 degrees apart on the wheel. Put them on white side by side and the hue gap is the first thing you see.
2 Check them against a true neutral gray: subtle undertones surface immediately next to something with no undertone at all.

Guide

When to use which

Linen is a surface color: it needs a dark background before it can carry text.

Snow is a surface color: it needs a dark background before it can carry text.

Palettes

Their palettes, side by side

Linen complementary palette

Snow complementary palette

Linen analogous palette

Snow analogous palette

FAQ

FAQs

Are Linen and Snow the same color?

No. Using their classic reference values, they differ by ΔE 5.2 (a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart). That makes them noticeably different side by side.

Which is darker, Linen or Snow?

Linen is darker: 3 points lower in OKLCH lightness than Snow.