Spruce vs African Gray
Where Spruce belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, African Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (30 vs 31), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 2.6, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Spruce vs African Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Spruce and African 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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. 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
Spruce vs African Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Spruce on one side and African 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 Spruce comparisons
See how Spruce stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 30, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 30 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 60 vs 30, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Spruce reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 30, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 30, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Spruce reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Spruce reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Spruce reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 30), opening up a space where Spruce encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.