Zinc vs Dix Blue
Zinc (Cloverdale Paint) and Dix Blue (Farrow & Ball) come from different manufacturers. These are both blue-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue-grey to land. The 3-point LRV gap — 44 for Zinc vs 41 for Dix Blue — means Zinc will open up a space more effectively. ΔE 6.9 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Zinc vs Dix Blue in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Zinc and Dix Blue 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Zinc reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Zinc has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The brightness difference is modest but present — Zinc gives the walls a little more lift.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Zinc has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Zinc vs Dix Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Zinc on one side and Dix 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 Zinc comparisons
See how Zinc stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 44), opening up a space where Zinc encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 30, Zinc is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 44, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where Zinc encloses it.
Zinc reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 44 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 44, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 44), opening up a space where Zinc encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 44), opening up a space where Zinc encloses it.
Zinc reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Zinc reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 44), opening up a space where Zinc encloses it.
Zinc reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 45 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 44 vs 31, Zinc is decisively the brighter choice.
