The Numbers
Stonington Gray: yellow / warm
Gray Owl is slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 59, 6-point delta).
What Each Color Really Is
A very light gray with a grayed-out yellow-green lean — and the lean is the whole story. At about 7 percent saturation there is barely any color in the can, so Gray Owl has almost nothing holding it in place. Give it strong sun and it tips toward soft sage. Give it a gray, overcast north window and the warmth vanishes and it drifts blue. The two most common complaints about this color, "it looks green" and "it looks blue," are both true, in the same house, on different walls.
At LRV 65 it reflects a lot of light, which is why it became a whole-house default. Put it next to Repose Gray SW 7015 at LRV 58 and Gray Owl is clearly the lighter, airier one — Repose looks a shade heavier and slightly taupe. Go the other way and stand it next to Classic Gray OC-23 at LRV 74 and Gray Owl suddenly looks like a real gray instead of an off-white. That middle position is exactly what people want from it, and exactly why it is so easy to get wrong.
A true gray with a blue undertone that never fully disappears — and a faint green ghost that shows up in shade and shadow. Benjamin Moore's own description, "all-purpose silvery gray," is unusually accurate: unlike its warmer HC-deck cousins (Revere Pewter, Edgecomb Gray), Stonington Gray does not lean beige or tan under any light. It reads as gray in the paint can, gray on the swatch, and gray on the wall. That consistency is the whole reason it became a Benjamin Moore staple rather than a passing trend color.
It belongs to the Historical Collection's HC gray run: Wickham Gray (HC-171, LRV 68) sits a step lighter and softer, Coventry Gray (HC-169) and Chelsea Gray (HC-168) sit darker and moodier, and Stonington Gray (HC-170, LRV 59) holds the middle — light enough for whole-house walls, with enough depth to read as a real color choice rather than an off-white. At LRV 59 it is a genuine mid-tone: not the pale ghost-gray of Classic Gray, not the charcoal of Kendall Charcoal, just a confident medium gray.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Gray Owl | Stonington Gray |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore |
| SKU | 2137-60 | HC-170 |
| Hex | #D3D4CC | #CACBC5 |
| RGB | 211, 212, 204 | 202, 203, 197 |
| LRV | 65 | 59 |
| Undertone | yellow / warm | yellow / warm |
| Family | Gray | Gray |
How Light Changes Them
Gray Owl
Stonington Gray
Both Colors in Real Rooms
Photos from our full reviews — the same rooms and captions, so you can judge each color where it actually lives, not on a chip.
When to Pick Which
The Questions Everyone Asks
Which is lighter, Gray Owl or Stonington Gray?
Gray Owl is lighter: LRV 65 vs 59. Gray Owl is slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 59, 6-point delta).
Which is warmer, Gray Owl or Stonington Gray?
They share the same undertone family — both read yellow / warm. The difference between them is lightness and depth, not temperature.
How similar are Gray Owl and Stonington Gray?
Gray Owl and Stonington Gray are very close (ΔE 2.32). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light. The only reliable test is seeing both in your own room and light — a side-by-side on a screen or chip flattens the difference.
Can I use Gray Owl and Stonington Gray together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 2.32 they are so close that two walls in each will read as a tinting mistake, not a design choice. Pick one, or keep them on different floors where they are never seen together.
Still Torn? Let Your Room Decide
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart — the difference is obvious immediately.
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