Choosing the Right White
Porcelain. Chantilly. Ice. 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
5754 Porcelain, black core, slight texture
E4754 Porcelain, white core, slight texture
754 Porcelain, cream core, slight texture
E4065 Fabric White, white core
CB402 White, cream core, smooth
824 Chantilly, cream core, slight texture
Warm E4824 Chantilly, white core, slight texture
Conservation with Artcare technology
Cool 8260 Ice White, white core, smooth
8262 Polar White, white core, smooth
8463 Spanish White, white core, smooth
8463.6 Spanish White 6 Ply, white core, smooth
8321.6 Spanish White 6 Ply, black core, smooth
8740.8 White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
8740 White, continuous core, smooth
8466 Frost, white core, slight texture
8466.6 Frost 6 Ply, 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, textured
4020 White Cloud Linen, white core, heavily textured
Warm 8486 Arabian White, white core, slight texture
Conservation Rag
Cool 8655 Pure White, continuous core, smooth
8653.8 Pure White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
8660.8 White 8 Ply, continuous core, smooth
8656 Natural White, continuous core, smooth
8640 Antique White, continuous core, smooth
Warm 8640.8 Antique 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.
