Forged Steel vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Forged Steel reads as grey, while Soulful Blue reads as blue-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Soulful Blue (LRV 20) reflects noticeably more light than Forged Steel (LRV 10), a difference of 10 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Forged Steel runs neutral while Soulful Blue is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 19.2, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Forged Steel vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Forged Steel and Soulful Blue in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Soulful Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Forged Steel.
Color Details
Forged Steel vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Forged Steel on one side and Soulful Blue 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 Forged Steel comparisons
See how Forged Steel stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
