Chelsea Gray vs Magnetic Gray
Chelsea Gray and Magnetic Gray come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 47 vs 46 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a neutral character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 1.3 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Chelsea Gray vs Magnetic Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Chelsea Gray and Magnetic 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Chelsea Gray vs Magnetic Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Chelsea Gray on one side and Magnetic 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 Chelsea Gray comparisons
See how Chelsea Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 47), opening up a space where Chelsea Gray encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 47, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
Chelsea Gray reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (52 vs 47) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 30, Chelsea Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 47, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Chelsea Gray reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (47 vs 43) makes Chelsea Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 4, Chelsea Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Chelsea Gray reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Chelsea Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 47 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 47, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 21, Chelsea Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 47), opening up a space where Chelsea Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 47), opening up a space where Chelsea Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 47), opening up a space where Chelsea Gray encloses it.
Chelsea Gray reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 47), opening up a space where Chelsea Gray encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (47 vs 41) makes Chelsea Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 47, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 25, Chelsea Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Chelsea Gray reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 47 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 47 vs 31, Chelsea Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 7, Chelsea Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 24, Chelsea Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (57 vs 47) makes Guilford Green the marginally brighter of the two.