Sherwin-Williams Agreeable GrayvsSherwin-Williams Modern Gray
Why this comparison: Modern Gray reads softer with a faint pink cast; a frequent either-or for warm open-plan walls. Agreeable Gray and Modern Gray are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.24). Most eyes can't tell them apart on a wall — pick whichever is easier to source.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
LRV is essentially equal (60 vs 62) — both reflect light the same.
What Each Color Really Is
A warm gray built on a taupe base, not a beige one — and that distinction explains almost everything about how it behaves. Beige-based neutrals carry yellow, so they stay warm no matter what the light does. Agreeable Gray carries a soft brown-violet instead, which is why it reads gray first and warm second, and why the warmth can switch off when the light turns cool. Sherwin-Williams sells it as the agreeable one because it refuses to commit to an undertone, and that refusal is both the reason it goes on more American walls than almost any other color and the reason a small share of people hate it.
At LRV 60 it reflects a bit more than half the light that lands on it, which puts it in the mid-light band — light enough to open a room, not light enough to act as a bright neutral. The number looks close to Revere Pewter (HC-172) at 56, but on a wall the gap feels bigger than four points because Revere Pewter also carries green and reads a full step heavier and more traditional. Put Agreeable Gray beside a real off-white like Alabaster (SW 7008) at LRV 82 and the comparison is honest: this is a color, not a pale wash, and it will hold visible shadow in corners and behind furniture.
A warm greige built on the same beige-taupe undertone as Agreeable Gray — pull the deck hex values side by side (Modern Gray #D5CFC2, Agreeable Gray #D1CABC) and the ratio between the red, green and blue channels barely moves. The practical result: on a paint chip in a store, most people cannot tell them apart. The real difference is value, not hue — Modern Gray sits at LRV 62 against Agreeable Gray's 60, a gap small enough to miss on paper and large enough to matter on a wall that only gets afternoon light for two hours.
That two-point LRV gap is why Modern Gray exists as its own color rather than a footnote. Painters and builders reach for it specifically in rooms where a client loved Agreeable Gray's warmth but found the sample looking a shade too gray or too dim once it went up over more than a poster-sized swatch — depth always reads darker across four walls than it does on a chip, and Modern Gray gives the same warm-neutral formula a small margin of extra light back.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Agreeable Gray | Modern Gray |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 7029 | SW 7632 |
| Hex | #D1CBC1 | #D6CEC3 |
| RGB | 209, 203, 193 | 214, 206, 195 |
| LRV | 60 | 62 |
| Undertone | red-orange / warm | red-orange / warm |
| Family | Neutral | Neutral |
How Light Changes Them
Warms up and looks its softest and lightest. Can wash toward a pale beige at midday — most people love it anyway.
The warmth drains out. Gray, sometimes violet, often just dingy. Sample this room first — or go warmer.
2700K lamps push it cozy and beige. 4000K daylight bulbs pull the gray out and can trigger the violet. Swap bulbs before you repaint.
One color, two rooms, two looks: warm and beige by the south windows, gray and cool in the shaded corner. Fine if you expect it, jarring if you don't.
Warm and even all day, the greige holds its balance without tipping tan or cold. Whole-house safe.
Cool, indirect daylight drains the warmth and can leave it reading flat or slightly muddy. Test a large sample first.
Warmer and more golden at the sun hours, quieter and more neutral the rest of the day — a gentle shift, not a color change.
2700K lamps keep it warm and cozy after dark. Cool white LEDs flatten it toward grey — swap the bulb before you second-guess the paint.
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
Whole-house flow in rooms with real daylight · open-plan main floors · kitchen and bath cabinets with brass or matte black · anyone who thinks beige is too yellow and gray is too cold
Your room is north-facing and dim · your trim or cabinets are cream · your tile, counters or flooring lean cool violet-gray · you want a wall color with an actual opinion
Whole-house walls in an open-plan home · rooms where Agreeable Gray tested a shade too dark or too gray · kitchens with white cabinets · exteriors with white trim
You specifically want a cool, blue-leaning true gray · your room is small and north-facing with no supplemental light · you want a color with its own strong identity rather than a safe backdrop
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Agreeable Gray vs Modern Gray FAQ
Which is lighter, Agreeable Gray or Modern Gray?
They are practically the same lightness — LRV 60 vs 62. Neither will make the room brighter than the other.
Which is warmer, Agreeable Gray or Modern Gray?
They share the same undertone family — both read red-orange / warm. The difference between them is lightness and depth, not temperature.
How similar are Agreeable Gray and Modern Gray?
Agreeable Gray and Modern Gray are visually nearly identical (ΔE 1.24). Most eyes can't tell them apart on a wall — pick whichever is easier to source. 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 Agreeable Gray and Modern Gray together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 1.24 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.
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