Light Charcoal vs French Gray
Where Light Charcoal belongs to Dulux's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Light Charcoal belongs to the grey family and French Gray to the beige-greige family. Light Charcoal (LRV 62) reflects noticeably more light than French Gray (LRV 43), a difference of 19 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Light Charcoal runs neutral while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 15.7, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Light Charcoal vs French Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Light Charcoal and French Gray 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
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 LRV gap is large enough that Light Charcoal will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than French Gray would.
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. Light Charcoal reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than French Gray.
Color Details
Light Charcoal vs French Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Light Charcoal on one side and French 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 Light Charcoal comparisons
See how Light Charcoal stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 62, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 62), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 62 vs 6, Light Charcoal is decisively the brighter choice.
Light Charcoal reads slightly lighter (LRV 62 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (62 vs 52) makes Light Charcoal the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 62 and 60, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 4-point LRV gap (62 vs 58) makes Light Charcoal the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 27, Light Charcoal is decisively the brighter choice.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (62 vs 55) makes Light Charcoal the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 62 vs 13, Light Charcoal is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 44, Light Charcoal is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 62), opening up a space where Light Charcoal encloses it.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 4-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 83 vs 62, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 12, Light Charcoal is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (68 vs 62) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Calamine reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 62), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 62 vs 12, Light Charcoal is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 62 vs 45, Light Charcoal is decisively the brighter choice.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Light Charcoal reflects far more light (LRV 62 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Light Charcoal 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.