Amherst Gray vs Steel Wool
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. 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 (19 vs 21), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. Amherst Gray runs yellow while Steel Wool is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 5.2 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Amherst Gray vs Steel Wool in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Amherst Gray and Steel Wool 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.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Amherst Gray vs Steel Wool Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Amherst Gray on one side and Steel Wool 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 Amherst Gray comparisons
See how Amherst Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 19, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
At LRV 19 vs 6, Amherst Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 19), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 19, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 19, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (27 vs 19) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Amherst Gray reflects far more light (LRV 19 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 19, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (19 vs 13) makes Amherst Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 19, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 21 and 19, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 19, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 19, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 19, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (19 vs 12) makes Amherst Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 19, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 19), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (19 vs 12) makes Amherst Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 19, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.
Amherst Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 19 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 19), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 19), opening up a space where Amherst Gray encloses it.