Steeple Gray vs African Gray
Steeple Gray is a PPG color while African Gray comes from Sherwin-Williams. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. With LRVs of 30 and 31, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 1.8, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steeple Gray vs African Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Steeple Gray 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Home Office
In a home office, wall color sits in your peripheral vision for hours at a time, so temperature and undertone matter more than you might expect. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Steeple Gray vs African Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steeple Gray 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 Steeple Gray comparisons
See how Steeple Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 30, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Steeple Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore 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.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
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 Steeple Gray encloses it.
Steeple Gray 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.
At LRV 30 vs 4, Steeple Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Steeple Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 30, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (30 vs 21) makes Steeple Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 30, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Steeple Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Steeple Gray 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 Steeple Gray encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (41 vs 30) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Steeple Gray 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 Steeple Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.