Sterling vs Agreeable Gray
Where Sterling belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Sterling belongs to the grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (62 vs 60), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. Sterling runs green while Agreeable Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 5.2 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sterling vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Sterling and Agreeable 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 temperature contrast between Agreeable Gray and Sterling is what sets these apart most in this context.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Agreeable Gray brings more warmth to the space, while Sterling keeps things cooler and crisper.
Color Details
Sterling vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sterling 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 Sterling comparisons
See how Sterling stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 62, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Sterling reads slightly lighter (LRV 62 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Sterling reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (62 vs 58) makes Sterling the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 27, Sterling is decisively the brighter choice.
Sterling reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (62 vs 55) makes Sterling the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 44, Sterling is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 62), opening up a space where Sterling encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (66 vs 62) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 62, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 12, Sterling is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (68 vs 62) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 12, Sterling is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 45, Sterling is decisively the brighter choice.
Sterling reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Sterling reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Sterling reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Sterling reads slightly lighter (LRV 62 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 62), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.