Gray By Me vs Pewter Tankard
Gray By Me (PPG) and Pewter Tankard (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the greige-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 32 vs 33 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 1.6 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gray By Me vs Pewter Tankard in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Gray By Me and Pewter Tankard 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
Gray By Me vs Pewter Tankard Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gray By Me on one side and Pewter Tankard 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 Gray By Me comparisons
See how Gray By Me stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 32, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
Gray By Me reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 32, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 32 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 32, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
Gray By Me reads slightly lighter (LRV 32 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (43 vs 32) makes French Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 32 vs 4, Gray By Me is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
Gray By Me reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reads slightly lighter (LRV 44 vs 32), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 32, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (32 vs 21) makes Gray By Me the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 32, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Gray By Me reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Gray By Me reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (41 vs 32) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Gray By Me reflects far more light (LRV 32 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 32), opening up a space where Gray By Me encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 32 vs 31), so neither reads brighter in a room.