Char Brown vs Mineral Alloy
Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Char Brown reads as beige-greige, while Mineral Alloy reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Mineral Alloy (LRV 28) reflects noticeably more light than Char Brown (LRV 9), a difference of 19 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Char Brown runs red while Mineral Alloy is decidedly blue, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 31.1, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Char Brown vs Mineral Alloy in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Char Brown and Mineral Alloy in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Mineral Alloy will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Char Brown would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Mineral Alloy reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Char Brown.
Color Details
Char Brown vs Mineral Alloy Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Char Brown on one side and Mineral Alloy 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 Char Brown comparisons
See how Char Brown stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 9, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Char Brown reads slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 9, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 9, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 9, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 9, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (9 vs 4) makes Char Brown the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 9, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 9, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
With LRVs of 12 and 9, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 9, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 9, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 9, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 9, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 9), opening up a space where Char Brown encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 9, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 9 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 24 vs 9, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 9, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.