Alloy vs Porpoise
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. Hue-wise, Alloy belongs to the grey family and Porpoise to the greige-grey family. At LRV 25 vs 13, Alloy will read as the brighter of the two — a 13-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. The tonal difference — Alloy's neutral character against Porpoise's warm — becomes most visible against white trim or in morning light. At ΔE 14.9, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Alloy vs Porpoise in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Alloy and Porpoise 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
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. Alloy returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Alloy will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Porpoise would.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The LRV gap is large enough that Alloy will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Porpoise would.
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 LRV gap is large enough that Alloy will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Porpoise would.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The LRV gap is large enough that Alloy will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Porpoise would.
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. Alloy returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Alloy vs Porpoise Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Alloy on one side and Porpoise 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 Alloy comparisons
See how Alloy stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 25, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (30 vs 25) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 25, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
With LRVs of 27 and 25, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 43 vs 25, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 25, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
Alloy reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
Alloy reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 25), opening up a space where Alloy encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (31 vs 25) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 25 vs 24), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 57 vs 25, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.