Imperial Gray vs Agreeable Gray
Where Imperial Gray belongs to Behr's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Imperial Gray belongs to the grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than Imperial Gray (LRV 14), a difference of 46 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Imperial Gray runs blue while Agreeable Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 37.9, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Imperial Gray vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Imperial Gray and Agreeable Gray in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Imperial Gray.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Imperial Gray.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Imperial Gray.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Imperial Gray.
Color Details
Imperial Gray vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Imperial Gray on one side and Agreeable Gray 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 Imperial Gray comparisons
See how Imperial Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 14, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (14 vs 6) makes Imperial Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 14, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 14, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 14, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
Imperial Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 14, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 13), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 44 vs 14, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 14), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 14, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 14, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 14, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 6-point LRV gap (14 vs 8) makes Imperial Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 14, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 14 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 14, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 14), opening up a space where Imperial Gray encloses it.
Imperial Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.