Mineral Gray vs Pure White
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Mineral Gray belongs to the blue-grey family and Pure White to the beige-greige family. Pure White (LRV 84) reflects noticeably more light than Mineral Gray (LRV 9), a difference of 75 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Mineral Gray runs cool while Pure White is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of NaN, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mineral Gray vs Pure White in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Mineral Gray and Pure White in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Gray.
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. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Gray.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Pure White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Gray.
Color Details
Mineral Gray vs Pure White Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mineral Gray on one side and Pure White 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 Mineral Gray comparisons
See how Mineral Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 9, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (9 vs 6) makes Mineral Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 9, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 9, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 9, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
Mineral Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 9 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 9, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (13 vs 9) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 9, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Artichoke reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 9, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 9, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 9, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 9), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 9, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
Calamine reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
Treron reflects far more light (LRV 25 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 9), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 9, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 9 and 7, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Cement grey reflects far more light (LRV 24 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
Just Walnut reflects far more light (LRV 72 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.