Mineral Gray vs Soulful Blue
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Soulful Blue (LRV 20) reflects noticeably more light than Mineral Gray (LRV 9), a difference of 11 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Both lean cool, so they'll behave similarly in mixed or changing light conditions. 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mineral Gray vs Soulful Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Mineral Gray 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.
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. Soulful Blue 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. Soulful Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mineral Gray.
Color Details
Mineral Gray vs Soulful Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mineral Gray 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 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.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 9), opening up a space where Mineral Gray encloses it.
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.