Steel Parade vs Rain
Steel Parade (Dulux) and Rain (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 47 vs 49 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. ΔE 3.9 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steel Parade vs Rain in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Steel Parade and Rain 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. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Steel Parade vs Rain Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steel Parade on one side and Rain 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 Steel Parade comparisons
See how Steel Parade stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 47, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 47), opening up a space where Steel Parade encloses it.
Steel Parade reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 5-point LRV gap (52 vs 47) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 30, Steel Parade is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 47, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Steel Parade reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (47 vs 43) makes Steel Parade the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 47 vs 4, Steel Parade is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 47), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Steel Parade reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Steel Parade reads slightly lighter (LRV 47 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 47, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 47 vs 21, Steel Parade is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 47), opening up a space where Steel Parade encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 47), opening up a space where Steel Parade encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 47), opening up a space where Steel Parade encloses it.
A 3-point LRV gap (51 vs 47) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Steel Parade reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Steel Parade reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 47), opening up a space where Steel Parade encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (47 vs 41) makes Steel Parade the marginally brighter of the two.
Steel Parade reflects far more light (LRV 47 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 47 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 47 vs 31, Steel Parade is decisively the brighter choice.