Cadet vs Steely Gray
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. These are both blue-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-grey to land. With LRVs of 31 and 30, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. They share a neutral quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. With a ΔE of 0.9, 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.
Cadet vs Steely Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Cadet and Steely Gray 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
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Cadet vs Steely Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cadet on one side and Steely 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 Cadet comparisons
See how Cadet stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 31, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 60 vs 31, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
Cadet reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 31, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 31, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
Cadet reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Cadet reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
Cadet reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 31), opening up a space where Cadet encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.