China Clay - Dark vs Agreeable Gray
Where China Clay - Dark belongs to Little Greene's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. China Clay - Dark reads as beige-greige, while Agreeable Gray reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than China Clay - Dark (LRV 47), a difference of 14 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. China Clay - Dark runs red while Agreeable Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 11.6, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
China Clay - Dark vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing China Clay - Dark and Agreeable 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 Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than China Clay - Dark would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than China Clay - Dark.
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. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than China Clay - Dark.
Color Details
China Clay - Dark vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see China Clay - Dark on one side and Agreeable 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 China Clay - Dark comparisons
See how China Clay - Dark stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 47, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 47), opening up a space where China Clay - Dark encloses it.
China Clay - Dark reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (52 vs 47) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 30, China Clay - Dark is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
China Clay - Dark reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (47 vs 43) makes China Clay - Dark the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 4, China Clay - Dark is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
China Clay - Dark reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
China Clay - Dark reads slightly lighter (LRV 47 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 47, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 21, China Clay - Dark is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 47), opening up a space where China Clay - Dark encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 47), opening up a space where China Clay - Dark encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 47), opening up a space where China Clay - Dark encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (51 vs 47) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
China Clay - Dark reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
China Clay - Dark reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 47), opening up a space where China Clay - Dark encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (47 vs 41) makes China Clay - Dark the marginally brighter of the two.
China Clay - Dark reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 47 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 47 vs 31, China Clay - Dark is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 7, China Clay - Dark is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 24, China Clay - Dark is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (57 vs 47) makes Guilford Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 72 vs 47, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.