Smokestack Gray vs Agreeable Gray
Smokestack Gray (Benjamin Moore) and Agreeable Gray (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Smokestack Gray belongs to the blue-grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. The 38-point LRV gap — 60 for Agreeable Gray vs 23 for Smokestack Gray — means Agreeable Gray will open up a space more effectively. Where Smokestack Gray leans blue, Agreeable Gray reads warm — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 30.9 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 7 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Smokestack Gray vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
7 real rooms side by side. Seeing Smokestack Gray and Agreeable Gray 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smokestack Gray.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Smokestack Gray would.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Smokestack Gray.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Smokestack Gray vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Smokestack Gray on one side and Agreeable Gray 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.
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.
At LRV 23 vs 7, Smokestack Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
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.