RAL 170-M vs Agreeable Gray
Where RAL 170-M belongs to RAL Effect's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, RAL 170-M belongs to the blue-grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than RAL 170-M (LRV 40), a difference of 20 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 19.4, 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.
RAL 170-M vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing RAL 170-M 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 RAL 170-M would.
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 RAL 170-M.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than RAL 170-M.
Color Details
RAL 170-M vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 170-M 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 RAL 170-M comparisons
See how RAL 170-M stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 40), opening up a space where RAL 170-M encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (52 vs 40) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (40 vs 30) makes RAL 170-M the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 40), opening up a space where RAL 170-M encloses it.
RAL 170-M reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (43 vs 40) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 40), opening up a space where RAL 170-M encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 40, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 40), opening up a space where RAL 170-M encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 40), opening up a space where RAL 170-M encloses it.
RAL 170-M reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 40), opening up a space where RAL 170-M encloses it.
RAL 170-M reflects far more light (LRV 40 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (40 vs 31) makes RAL 170-M the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 40 vs 7, RAL 170-M is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 24, RAL 170-M is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 40, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 40, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.