Cracked Pepper vs Perle Noir
Where Cracked Pepper belongs to Behr's range, Perle Noir is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (8 vs 8), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. Cracked Pepper runs blue while Perle Noir is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. At ΔE 2.9, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cracked Pepper vs Perle Noir in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Cracked Pepper and Perle Noir are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Cracked Pepper vs Perle Noir Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cracked Pepper on one side and Perle Noir 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 Cracked Pepper comparisons
See how Cracked Pepper stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 8, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
With LRVs of 8 and 6, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 8, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 8, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 8, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 8, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (8 vs 4) makes Cracked Pepper the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 8, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 8, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 8, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 8 and 8, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 8, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 8), opening up a space where Cracked Pepper encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 8, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.