Steep Cliff Gray vs Templeton Gray paint color comparison

Steep Cliff Gray vs Templeton Gray

Both from Benjamin Moore's palette. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Templeton Gray (LRV 24) reflects noticeably more light than Steep Cliff Gray (LRV 21), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean blue, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. The ΔE 3.9 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Steep Cliff Gray vs Templeton Gray in Real Spaces

4 real rooms side by side. Steep Cliff Gray and Templeton Gray 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

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 — Templeton Gray gives the walls a little more lift.

Steep Cliff GrayBenjamin Moore Steep Cliff Gray Living Room

@bluestarpaintproperty

Templeton GrayBenjamin Moore HC-161 living room color

@expatmomma

Bedroom

The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Templeton Gray reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Steep Cliff GrayBenjamin Moore Steep Cliff Gray Bedroom

@mississippi_designer

Templeton GrayTempleton Gray bedroom paint review

@ferrazartisans

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. Templeton Gray reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Steep Cliff GraySteep Cliff Gray Bathroom Walls

@suburbanbees

Templeton GrayBenjamin Moore Templeton Gray bathroom paint

@busybee.painter

Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Templeton Gray reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.

Steep Cliff GrayKitchen Cabinets

@not_too_shabby_lady

Templeton GrayBenjamin Moore HC-161 kitchen cabinets paint review

@kateandcompanyinteriors

Color Details

Steep Cliff Gray
Benjamin Moore · 2122-20
Hex#6E7C7D
LRV20.5
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number2122-20
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessDark
Templeton Gray
Benjamin Moore · HC-161
Hex#778686
LRV23.9
BrandBenjamin Moore
NumberHC-161
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessDark

Steep Cliff Gray vs Templeton Gray Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steep Cliff Gray on one side and Templeton Gray on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Steep Cliff Gray comparisons

See how Steep Cliff Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

Steep Cliff Gray
White Dove
Steep Cliff Gray
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 83 vs 21, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Ammonite
Steep Cliff Gray
Ammonite
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Iron Ore
Steep Cliff Gray
Iron Ore
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 21 vs 6, Steep Cliff Gray is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Purbeck Stone
Steep Cliff Gray
Purbeck Stone
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Evergreen Fog
Steep Cliff Gray
Evergreen Fog
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Steep Cliff Gray
Mizzle
Steep Cliff Gray
Mizzle
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

At LRV 52 vs 21, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Agreeable Gray
Steep Cliff Gray
Agreeable Gray
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Accessible Beige
Steep Cliff Gray
Accessible Beige
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 58 vs 21, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Denim Drift
Steep Cliff Gray
Denim Drift
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

A 6-point LRV gap (27 vs 21) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.

Steep Cliff Gray
French Gray
Steep Cliff Gray
French Gray
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Naval
Steep Cliff Gray
Naval
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

Steep Cliff Gray reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Tranquil Dawn
Steep Cliff Gray
Tranquil Dawn
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 55 vs 21, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Bancha
Steep Cliff Gray
Bancha
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

A 7-point LRV gap (21 vs 13) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.

Steep Cliff Gray
Hardwick White
Steep Cliff Gray
Hardwick White
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 44 vs 21, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Pure White
Steep Cliff Gray
Pure White
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Artichoke
Steep Cliff Gray
Artichoke
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

With LRVs of 21 and 21, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.

Balboa Mist
Steep Cliff Gray
Balboa Mist
Steep Cliff Gray
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 66 vs 21, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Shoji White
Steep Cliff Gray
Shoji White
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 74 vs 21, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Snowbound
Steep Cliff Gray
Snowbound
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

At LRV 83 vs 21, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Pewter Green
Steep Cliff Gray
Pewter Green
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.

Steep Cliff Gray
Skimming Stone
Steep Cliff Gray
Skimming Stone
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 68 vs 21, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Dix Blue
Steep Cliff Gray
Dix Blue
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Calamine
Steep Cliff Gray
Calamine
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Farrow & Ball
Calamine
LRV 68

Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Treron
Steep Cliff Gray
Treron
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
Farrow & Ball
Treron
LRV 25

Treron reads slightly lighter (LRV 25 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Steep Cliff Gray
Vintage Vogue
Steep Cliff Gray
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.

Saybrook Sage
Steep Cliff Gray
Saybrook Sage
Steep Cliff Gray
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

At LRV 45 vs 21, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.

Steep Cliff Gray
Pale Green
Steep Cliff Gray
Pale Green
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Steep Cliff Gray
Pine Needle
Steep Cliff Gray
Pine Needle
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

Steep Cliff Gray reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.

Steep Cliff Gray
Cement grey
Steep Cliff Gray
Cement grey
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Guilford Green
Steep Cliff Gray
Guilford Green
Steep Cliff Gray
Benjamin Moore
Steep Cliff Gray
2122-20 · LRV 21

Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.