Smokestack Gray vs Pine Needle
Where Smokestack Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Pine Needle is a Dulux color. Smokestack Gray reads as blue-grey, while Pine Needle reads as green — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Smokestack Gray (LRV 23) reflects noticeably more light than Pine Needle (LRV 7), a difference of 16 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Smokestack Gray runs blue while Pine Needle is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 27.8, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smokestack Gray vs Pine Needle in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Smokestack Gray and Pine Needle 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 Smokestack Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Pine Needle would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Smokestack Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Pine Needle.
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. Smokestack Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Pine Needle.
Color Details
Smokestack Gray vs Pine Needle Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smokestack Gray on one side and Pine Needle 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 Smokestack Gray comparisons
See how Smokestack Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 23, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Smokestack Gray reflects far more light (LRV 23 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 23, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (30 vs 23) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 23, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 23), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 23, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 23 vs 4, Smokestack Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
Smokestack Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 23 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 23, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 23 vs 21), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
Smokestack Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 23 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 23, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 23, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 25 vs 23), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Smokestack Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 23 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 23), opening up a space where Smokestack Gray encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (31 vs 23) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 24 vs 23), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 23, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 23, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.