Mercurial vs Pewter Tankard
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. Mercurial (LRV 61) reflects noticeably more light than Pewter Tankard (LRV 33), a difference of 28 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean warm, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. With a ΔE of 18.2, 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.
Mercurial vs Pewter Tankard in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Mercurial and Pewter Tankard in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Mercurial reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Pewter Tankard.
Color Details
Mercurial vs Pewter Tankard Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mercurial on one side and Pewter Tankard 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 Mercurial comparisons
See how Mercurial stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 61, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Mercurial reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mercurial reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
With LRVs of 61 and 60, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 3-point LRV gap (61 vs 58) makes Mercurial the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 61 vs 27, Mercurial is decisively the brighter choice.
Mercurial reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (61 vs 55) makes Mercurial the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 61 vs 44, Mercurial is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 61), opening up a space where Mercurial encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (66 vs 61) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 61, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 12, Mercurial is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (68 vs 61) makes Skimming Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 61 vs 12, Mercurial is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 61 vs 45, Mercurial is decisively the brighter choice.
Mercurial reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Mercurial reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Mercurial reflects far more light (LRV 61 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Mercurial reads slightly lighter (LRV 61 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.