Metal Flake vs Hicks' Blue
Metal Flake (Cloverdale Paint) and Hicks' Blue (Little Greene) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Metal Flake belongs to the green-grey family and Hicks' Blue to the blue family. Metal Flake has an LRV of 72. A ΔE of 52.9 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Metal Flake vs Hicks' Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Metal Flake and Hicks' Blue 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.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Metal Flake vs Hicks' Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Metal Flake on one side and Hicks' Blue 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 Metal Flake comparisons
See how Metal Flake stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Metal Flake reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 69), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (83 vs 72) makes White Dove the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 72 vs 6, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 72 vs 52, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
Metal Flake reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 72 vs 58, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 27, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 72 vs 55, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 13, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 44, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (72 vs 66) makes Metal Flake the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 74 vs 72), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 11-point LRV gap (83 vs 72) makes Snowbound the marginally brighter of the two.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 72 vs 12, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 8, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (72 vs 68) makes Metal Flake the marginally brighter of the two.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 72 vs 12, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 45, Metal Flake is decisively the brighter choice.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Metal Flake reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.