Smoke Gray vs Downing Slate
Smoke Gray (Benjamin Moore) and Downing Slate (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 21 vs 21 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Where Smoke Gray leans blue, Downing Slate reads neutral — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 1.6 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smoke Gray vs Downing Slate in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Smoke Gray and Downing Slate 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
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Smoke Gray vs Downing Slate Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smoke Gray on one side and Downing Slate 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 Smoke Gray comparisons
See how Smoke Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 21, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
Smoke Gray reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 21, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (30 vs 21) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 21, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 21, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 4, Smoke Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
Smoke Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 21, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 21 vs 21), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 21, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Smoke Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Smoke Gray reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 21, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Smoke Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 21), opening up a space where Smoke Gray encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (31 vs 21) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.