Olive grey vs Slate grey
Both from RAL Classic's palette. Olive grey reads as greige-grey, while Slate grey reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Olive grey (LRV 22) reflects noticeably more light than Slate grey (LRV 12), a difference of 11 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 22.5, 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.
Olive grey vs Slate grey in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Olive grey and Slate grey in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Olive grey reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Slate grey.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Olive grey will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Slate grey would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Olive grey reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Slate grey.
Color Details
Olive grey vs Slate grey Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Olive grey on one side and Slate grey 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 Olive grey comparisons
See how Olive grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 22, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Olive grey reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 22, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (30 vs 22) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 22, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 22, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 22 vs 4, Olive grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Olive grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 22, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 22 vs 21), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 22, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Olive grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Olive grey reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 22, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Olive grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (31 vs 22) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.