Unique Gray vs Zircon
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 59 and 59, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Unique Gray vs Zircon in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Unique Gray and Zircon 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.
Color Details
Unique Gray vs Zircon Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Unique Gray on one side and Zircon 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 Unique Gray comparisons
See how Unique Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 59), opening up a space where Unique Gray encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (69 vs 59) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
Unique Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 7-point LRV gap (59 vs 52) makes Unique Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 59 vs 30, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Unique Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 59 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 59), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 59 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Unique Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 59 vs 43, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 4, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Unique Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 59 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Unique Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Unique Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 59, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 21, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 59), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 59), opening up a space where Unique Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 59), opening up a space where Unique Gray encloses it.
Unique Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 59), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 59 vs 41, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (68 vs 59) makes Calamine the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 59 vs 25, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Unique Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Unique Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 59 vs 31, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 7, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 24, Unique Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 59 vs 57), so neither reads brighter in a room.