Pittsburgh Gray vs Passive
Pittsburgh Gray (PPG) and Passive (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 59 vs 60 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 0.9 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pittsburgh Gray vs Passive in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Pittsburgh Gray and Passive 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.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Pittsburgh Gray vs Passive Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pittsburgh Gray on one side and Passive 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 Pittsburgh Gray comparisons
See how Pittsburgh Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 10-point LRV gap (69 vs 59) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 59), opening up a space where Pittsburgh Gray encloses it.
Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 59 vs 30, Pittsburgh Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Pittsburgh 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.
Pittsburgh Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 59 vs 43, Pittsburgh Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 59 vs 4, Pittsburgh Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Pittsburgh Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 59 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pittsburgh Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Pittsburgh 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, Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 59), opening up a space where Pittsburgh Gray encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (59 vs 51) makes Pittsburgh Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Pittsburgh Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Pittsburgh Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck 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, Pittsburgh Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Pittsburgh Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Pittsburgh Gray reflects far more light (LRV 59 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 59 vs 31, Pittsburgh Gray is decisively the brighter choice.