Steely Gray vs Made in the Shade
Where Steely Gray belongs to Sherwin-Williams's range, Made in the Shade is a Valspar color. Hue-wise, Steely Gray belongs to the blue-grey family and Made in the Shade to the grey family. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (30 vs 33), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 2.9, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steely Gray vs Made in the Shade in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Steely Gray and Made in the Shade 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Steely Gray vs Made in the Shade Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steely Gray on one side and Made in the Shade 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 Steely Gray comparisons
See how Steely Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 30), opening up a space where Steely Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 30, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 6, Steely Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 30), opening up a space where Steely Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 30 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 52 vs 30, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 30), opening up a space where Steely Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 30, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (30 vs 27) makes Steely Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 30), opening up a space where Steely Gray encloses it.
Steely Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 30, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 13, Steely Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 30, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 30), opening up a space where Steely Gray encloses it.
Steely Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 30, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 30, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 30, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 30), opening up a space where Steely Gray encloses it.
At LRV 30 vs 12, Steely Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 8, Steely Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 30, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 30 vs 12, Steely Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 30, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 31 and 30, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.