White Dove Benjamin Moore is a soft, classic off-white paint color identified as OC-17 in Benjamin Moore’s current U.S. color collection. It has a light reflectance value (LRV) of 83.16, meaning it reflects a substantial amount of light while remaining softer than a stark, bright white. Benjamin Moore places it in the Off White Collection, where it is presented as a clean, classic white suitable for a range of interior applications.
What Is White Dove Benjamin Moore?
White Dove Benjamin Moore is an off-white shade designed to provide a softer alternative to a pure, high-contrast white.
The official color designation is White Dove OC-17, and Benjamin Moore lists it in its Off White Collection. The company also describes it as a clean and classic white, making it suitable for spaces where a white finish is desired without an especially stark appearance.
The color is frequently considered for walls, trim, cabinetry, doors, and other architectural surfaces. Benjamin Moore’s own room examples show White Dove OC-17 used on walls, cabinets, doors, molding, and ceilings, demonstrating its flexibility across different parts of an interior.
What Is the LRV of White Dove OC-17?
White Dove OC-17 has an official LRV of 83.16, which indicates that it is a relatively light paint color.
LRV, or Light Reflectance Value, describes how much visible light a surface reflects, using a scale from approximately 0 for very dark colors to 100 for highly reflective white. An LRV of 83.16 places White Dove firmly in the light-color range.
Because lighting changes how paint appears, White Dove can look somewhat different from one room to another. Natural daylight, artificial lighting, nearby wall colors, flooring, countertops, and furnishings can all affect how the color is perceived.
What Undertones Does White Dove Have?
White Dove is a softly shaded off-white rather than a completely neutral, paper-like white.
Its appearance can shift depending on the surrounding colors and the type of light entering a room. This is one reason an off-white can appear warmer, cooler, brighter, or more muted in different environments even when the same paint is used.
When evaluating White Dove, compare it directly with the other whites already present in the room. A surrounding bright white trim, warm wood floor, gray countertop, or cream-colored furnishing can change the perceived relationship between the colors.
Where Can You Use White Dove OC-17?
White Dove OC-17 works across walls, trim, cabinets, ceilings, doors, and other interior surfaces.
Walls
White Dove can be used as a whole-room wall color when the goal is a light, soft backdrop. Benjamin Moore’s own color-room examples include White Dove on walls, illustrating its use as a primary interior color.
Its high LRV can help a room maintain a light appearance, although the actual result depends heavily on the room’s windows, orientation, artificial lighting, and surrounding finishes.
Trim and Moldings
White Dove is also used for trim, molding, and other architectural details.
Benjamin Moore specifically describes the color as a favorite choice for moldings and trim on its PM-19 listing.
Using the same white on walls and trim can create a continuous appearance, while using it only on trim can provide contrast against another wall color.
Kitchen Cabinets
White Dove is commonly considered for kitchen cabinetry because its off-white character can work with both light and darker materials.
Benjamin Moore’s own kitchen visualization shows White Dove used on cabinets, walls, and doors alongside another accent color.
For a kitchen, compare a physical sample with the countertop, backsplash, flooring, and cabinet hardware before choosing the final color.
Ceilings
White Dove can also be used on ceilings when a softer white is preferred.
Benjamin Moore’s Off-White Collection materials show White Dove used for cabinets, trim, and ceilings in a kitchen setting.
Whether it is appropriate for a ceiling depends on the desired contrast and the other whites in the room.
Which Colors Coordinate With White Dove?
Benjamin Moore provides several coordinating combinations for White Dove OC-17, including Balboa Mist OC-27 with Kendall Charcoal HC-166 and Revere Pewter HC-172 with Country Redwood HC-183.
These combinations illustrate how White Dove can be paired with lighter neutrals, darker grays, and stronger accent colors. The appropriate combination depends on whether the room is intended to feel high-contrast, softly layered, warm, or more neutral.
Benjamin Moore also lists several visually similar colors, including Swiss Coffee OC-45, Steam AF-15, Glacier White OC-37, and Cloud White OC-130. Similar does not mean identical, so comparing physical samples is useful when deciding between them.
Is White Dove a Good Choice for Small Rooms?
White Dove can be considered for small rooms because its LRV of 83.16 places it in a relatively light range.
However, paint color alone does not determine whether a small room looks spacious. Window size, natural light, ceiling height, flooring, furniture, and the contrast between walls and trim all contribute to the final appearance.
In a darker room, White Dove may look noticeably different from how it appears in a bright room with substantial daylight. Testing a sample on multiple walls can reveal these changes before the entire room is painted.
How Does White Dove Compare With Other White Paint Colors?
White Dove is softer than many very crisp whites, while still providing a distinctly light appearance.
Benjamin Moore’s Gentle Whites material specifically contrasts Decorator’s White OC-149, described there as crisp, clean, and bright, with White Dove OC-17, described as somewhat more muted.
White Dove should therefore be evaluated in relation to the other whites in the space rather than judged in isolation. If existing surfaces are very cool or very bright, White Dove may create a different visual relationship than expected.
Is White Dove OC-17 the Same as White Dove PM-19?
White Dove OC-17 and White Dove PM-19 are listed by Benjamin Moore as the same named color, but the published LRV information differs between the two listings.
The current OC-17 page lists an LRV of 83.16, while Benjamin Moore’s PM-19 page identifies PM-19 as also known as White Dove OC-17 and lists an LRV of 85.38.
Because Benjamin Moore’s own pages show this difference, readers should rely on the color code associated with the specific product or collection they are purchasing and confirm the color with an actual sample. Screen and printed representations can also differ from physical paint.
How Should You Test White Dove Before Painting?
The most reliable approach is to test the actual color in the room where it will be used.
- Get a physical sample or color swatch. Benjamin Moore offers physical White Dove OC-17 swatches for evaluating the color.
- Place it near existing finishes. Compare it with flooring, countertops, trim, cabinets, furniture, and other fixed materials.
- Check it in different lighting. Look at the sample during daylight and under the room’s artificial lights.
- Compare it with alternative whites. Place several samples together to identify differences in brightness and undertone.
- Confirm the final product and color code. Make sure the paint is being tinted to the intended White Dove code.
Benjamin Moore cautions that on-screen and printed color representations may differ from actual paint, so a digital image should not be treated as a precise substitute for a physical sample.
Common Questions About White Dove Benjamin Moore
Is White Dove a pure white?
No. White Dove OC-17 is classified by Benjamin Moore in its Off White Collection, so it is better understood as an off-white rather than a stark pure white.
What is White Dove’s color code?
The current U.S. designation is OC-17. Benjamin Moore also lists White Dove under the designation PM-19 on a separate page.
What is the LRV of White Dove?
Benjamin Moore’s current OC-17 listing gives White Dove an LRV of 83.16.
Can White Dove be used on cabinets?
Yes. Benjamin Moore’s own kitchen visualization shows White Dove OC-17 used on cabinets, as well as walls and doors.
Does White Dove look the same on every wall?
No. Lighting and surrounding colors can change its perceived appearance. For this reason, physical sampling in the intended room is preferable to relying on an online image.
Conclusion
White Dove Benjamin Moore, or OC-17, is a light off-white with an official LRV of 83.16 and a place in Benjamin Moore’s Off White Collection. Its applications include walls, cabinets, trim, doors, and ceilings, while its appearance can change with lighting and surrounding finishes.
Before choosing White Dove, compare a physical sample with the room’s existing colors and lighting. Readers considering alternatives may also want to explore Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee, Cloud White, Glacier White, and Decorator’s White for a clearer understanding of how different whites compare.
