Grain vs S 6000-N
Grain (Cloverdale Paint) and S 6000-N (NCS) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Grain belongs to the beige-greige family and S 6000-N to the grey family. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 17 vs 17 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 12.7 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Grain vs S 6000-N in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Grain and S 6000-N 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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Grain vs S 6000-N Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Grain on one side and S 6000-N 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 Grain comparisons
See how Grain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 17, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 17), opening up a space where Grain encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 17), opening up a space where Grain encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 17), opening up a space where Grain encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 17, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (27 vs 17) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 17), opening up a space where Grain encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 17, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 17, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 17), opening up a space where Grain encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 17, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 17, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Grain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 17, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (17 vs 12) makes Grain the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 17, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 17), opening up a space where Grain encloses it.
Grain reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 17), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 17), opening up a space where Grain encloses it.