Sand vs Steel Curtain
Sand (Jotun) and Steel Curtain (PPG) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Sand belongs to the beige-greige family and Steel Curtain to the grey family. The 22-point LRV gap — 56 for Sand vs 34 for Steel Curtain — means Sand will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 17.0 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sand vs Steel Curtain in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Sand and Steel Curtain 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. Sand reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Steel Curtain.
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. Sand returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Sand returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Sand will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Steel Curtain would.
Color Details
Sand vs Steel Curtain Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sand on one side and Steel Curtain 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 Sand comparisons
See how Sand stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
