Onyx vs Pewter Green
Where Onyx belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Pewter Green is a Sherwin-Williams color. Onyx reads as grey, while Pewter Green reads as green-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Pewter Green (LRV 12) reflects noticeably more light than Onyx (LRV 5), a difference of 7 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Onyx runs red while Pewter Green is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 20.0, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Onyx vs Pewter Green in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Onyx and Pewter Green 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 brightness difference is modest but present — Pewter Green gives the walls a little more lift.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Pewter Green reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Pewter Green reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Pewter Green reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The brightness difference is modest but present — Pewter Green gives the walls a little more lift.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pewter Green reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Onyx vs Pewter Green Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Onyx on one side and Pewter Green 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 Onyx comparisons
See how Onyx stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
