Steely Gaze vs Passive
Steely Gaze is a PPG color while Passive comes from Sherwin-Williams. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. With LRVs of 60 and 60, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 0.9, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steely Gaze vs Passive in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Steely Gaze 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
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.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Steely Gaze vs Passive Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steely Gaze 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 Steely Gaze comparisons
See how Steely Gaze stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 9-point LRV gap (69 vs 60) makes Ammonite the marginally brighter of the two.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 60), opening up a space where Steely Gaze encloses it.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (60 vs 52) makes Steely Gaze the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 30, Steely Gaze is decisively the brighter choice.
Steely Gaze reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 60), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 60 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 43, Steely Gaze is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 4, Steely Gaze is decisively the brighter choice.
Steely Gaze reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 60, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 21, Steely Gaze is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 60), opening up a space where Steely Gaze encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 60), opening up a space where Steely Gaze encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (60 vs 51) makes Steely Gaze the marginally brighter of the two.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 41, Steely Gaze is decisively the brighter choice.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Steely Gaze reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 31, Steely Gaze is decisively the brighter choice.