Choosing the Right White
Porcelain. Frost. Ice. Igloo. When it comes to mat boards, there’s a rainbow of white hues to choose from. And artists and others who work with color know that white shades are incredibly varied, ranging from pure-fallen snow to rich cream.
When choosing a white mat board for your next project, there are several factors to consider.
Are the colors in your artwork cool or warm? If they’re warm, you’ll want to lean toward whites with warm-colored undertones like pink, orange, red and yellow. If they’re cool, consider cooler whites with undertones of blue, purple or green.
Cool Whites
Cool white mat boards make a great complement to clear and deeply saturated colors, lending a clean look to any design while offering a sharp contrast between the mat and the art. Black and white photographs, floral art, and artwork with heavy or bright colors tend to look best with cooler bright white mat boards.
Warm Whites
Sepia-toned photos, beach and autumn scenes, or any image with a strong yellow undertone usually calls for a warmer off-white or creamier white.
Below, we’ve listed our white mat boards, from cool to warm and smooth to textured to help you easily make your selection.
General Purpose
Cool E4709 Extreme White, white core, smooth
E4754 Porcelain, white core, slight texture
754 Porcelain, cream core, slight texture
Warm CB402 White, cream core, smooth
Conservation
Cool CS9613 Super White, white core, smooth
8260 Ice White, white core, smooth
CS9902 White Art, black core, smooth
8262 Polar White, white core, smooth
8463 Spanish White, white core, smooth
8463.6 Spanish White 6 Ply, white core, smooth
8740.8 White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
8740 White, continuous core, smooth
8466 Frost, white core, slight texture
8465 Igloo, white core, smooth
8465.6 Igloo 6 ply, white core, smooth
8464 Matte White, white core, smooth
8559.6 Photo White 6 Ply, white core, smooth
8467 French White, white core, texture
8486 Arabian White, white core, slight texture
Warm CS5632 Warm White, white core, heavy texture
Conservation Museum Rag
Cool 907-4 Perfect White, continuous core, smooth
907-8 Perfect White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
8655 Pure White, continuous core, smooth
8653.8 Pure White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
8660.8 White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
900-4 White, continuous core, smooth
Warm 900-8 White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
Once you narrow your selection to a few possibilities, we recommend ordering samples so you can see the true mat color in person. We offer up to 5 free samples or you can purchase an entire set of samples.
Need more help choosing the right shade of white? Consult our in-house framing experts.
