Gray Clouds vs Magnetic Gray
Both are Sherwin-Williams colors. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. With LRVs of 47 and 46, 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 1.6, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gray Clouds vs Magnetic Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Gray Clouds 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
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.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Gray Clouds vs Magnetic Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gray Clouds 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 Gray Clouds comparisons
See how Gray Clouds stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 47, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 47), opening up a space where Gray Clouds encloses it.
At LRV 47 vs 6, Gray Clouds is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Gray Clouds reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (52 vs 47) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 47), opening up a space where Gray Clouds encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (58 vs 47) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 27, Gray Clouds is decisively the brighter choice.
Gray Clouds reads slightly lighter (LRV 47 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Gray Clouds reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (55 vs 47) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 13, Gray Clouds is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (47 vs 44) makes Gray Clouds the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 47), opening up a space where Gray Clouds encloses it.
Gray Clouds reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 47, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 47, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 47, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 12, Gray Clouds is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 47, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Gray Clouds reads slightly lighter (LRV 47 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 47), opening up a space where Gray Clouds encloses it.
Gray Clouds reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 47 vs 12, Gray Clouds is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 47 vs 45), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Gray Clouds reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Gray Clouds reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Gray Clouds reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 57 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.