Olive grey vs Downing Earth
Olive grey is a RAL Classic color while Downing Earth comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. With LRVs of 22 and 20, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 2.4, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Olive grey vs Downing Earth in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Olive grey and Downing Earth 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.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Front Door
Front doors are seen in isolation against the rest of the facade, which makes them a high-stakes surface where even subtle differences matter. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Olive grey vs Downing Earth Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Olive grey on one side and Downing Earth 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.