Steam vs Gypsum
Steam (Benjamin Moore) and Gypsum (PPG) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the beige-greige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 84 vs 83 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 0.7 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steam vs Gypsum in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Steam and Gypsum 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.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. 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
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. 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
Steam vs Gypsum Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steam on one side and Gypsum 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 Steam comparisons
See how Steam stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 84 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 58, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 27, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 55, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 44, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 84 and 84, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 66, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (84 vs 74) makes Steam the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 84 vs 12, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 68, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 12, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 84 vs 45, Steam is decisively the brighter choice.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Steam reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.