Light grey vs Zircon
Where Light grey belongs to RAL Classic's range, Zircon is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (58 vs 59), so they'll read as similarly Light in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 1.5, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Light grey vs Zircon in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Light grey and Zircon 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.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Light grey vs Zircon Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Light grey on one side and Zircon 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 grey comparisons
See how Light grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reads slightly lighter (LRV 69 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 83 vs 58, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 6, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Light grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Light grey reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (58 vs 52) makes Light grey the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 60 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 58 vs 27, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Light grey reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Light grey reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (58 vs 55) makes Light grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 13, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 44, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 58), opening up a space where Light grey encloses it.
Light grey reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (66 vs 58) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 58, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 58, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Light grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 8, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (68 vs 58) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
Light grey reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 45, Light grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Light grey reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.