Olive grey vs High Tea
Olive grey (RAL Classic) and High Tea (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Olive grey reads as greige-grey, while High Tea reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. The 6-point LRV gap — 22 for Olive grey vs 17 for High Tea — means Olive grey will open up a space more effectively. ΔE 4.2 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Olive grey vs High Tea in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Olive grey and High Tea 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.
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. Olive grey has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
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. Olive grey reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Olive grey vs High Tea Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Olive grey on one side and High Tea 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 Olive grey comparisons
See how Olive grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 22, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Olive grey reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 22, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (30 vs 22) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 22, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 22), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 22, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 22 vs 4, Olive grey is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Olive grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 22, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 22 vs 21), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 22, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Olive grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Olive grey reflects far more light (LRV 22 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 22, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Olive grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 22 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 22), opening up a space where Olive grey encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (31 vs 22) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.