Sherwin-Williams Pewter GreenvsSherwin-Williams Rosemary
Why this comparison: Both dark sages; Rosemary is greener, Pewter Green grayer. Pewter Green and Rosemary are very close (ΔE 3.13). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light.
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 (12 vs 14) — both reflect light the same.
What Each Color Really Is
A dark gray-green where the gray does most of the talking. Saturation sits around four percent, which in plain terms means the green is a direction, not a statement — put a chip of Pewter Green next to a true charcoal and the green appears immediately; put it on a wall by itself and most visitors will call it gray. What surprises people is that it swings in two directions, not one. In bright rooms with white cabinets around it, it cools off and can read almost blue-sage. Under warm bulbs and next to oak, the same paint goes soft and olive. Both are the real color; neither is a mistake in the can.
At LRV 12 it returns about twelve percent of the light in the room, and that number decides everything about how it behaves. Set it beside Evergreen Fog (SW 9130) at LRV 30 and the difference is not "a bit darker" — Evergreen Fog is a paint you can put on four walls of an average room and still see the room. Pewter Green is a paint that eats light and gives back depth. That is a trade, and it is a good one on a cabinet run or a small bathroom, where the darkness reads as intentional. Across a big dim room it just reads as dark.
A dark, grayed green with an olive thread — and the gray is the whole point. The hue measures 96 degrees, which is technically the yellow side of green, but saturation sits near 10 percent, so nothing about it reads forest or emerald. In the hex #5F6B57 the green channel leads and blue sits lowest, which is why it never tips teal the way so many dark greens do. What lands on the wall behaves like a dark neutral: heavy enough to shape a room, quiet enough to sit under wood and brass without shouting.
LRV 12 means it hands back about a tenth of the light that hits it — the dark band, near charcoal territory. Put it beside Evergreen Fog SW 9130 at LRV 30 and the gap is obvious: Evergreen Fog is a green you can put in a dim bedroom, Rosemary is a green you have to bring light to. Its true peer is Pewter Green SW 6208, also LRV 12, so the two carry identical weight in a room and the only real difference is how much green you end up seeing.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Pewter Green | Rosemary |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 6208 | SW 6187 |
| Hex | #5E6259 | #64695C |
| RGB | 94, 98, 89 | 100, 105, 92 |
| LRV | 12 | 14 |
| Undertone | true neutral | green / cool |
| Family | Gray | Green |
How Light Changes Them
The green finally shows and the color reads rich instead of gray. Its best case.
Grays down and drifts slightly blue. Fine on cabinets, tricky on four walls.
2700K bulbs push it warm and olive — flattering. Cool LEDs make it hard and flat.
With no daylight there is nothing to reflect. It stops reading as a color. Go lighter.
Strong warm sun lifts the yellow side and the green is unmistakable all day.
Cool weak daylight leaves nothing to reflect — it reads charcoal green. Sample big.
2700K keeps it green and warm. 4000K LEDs kill it — change bulbs, not paint.
Powder rooms and basements lose the hue entirely. Fine if black-green is the goal.
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
Kitchen islands and lower cabinets · powder rooms you are willing to light well · built-ins and library walls · exteriors and front doors
The room has no window · you want people to see an obvious green · your counters are dark granite or soapstone · you are painting every cabinet in a small kitchen
Kitchen islands and lower cabinets with a lighter perimeter · dining rooms and studies you want dark on purpose · front doors and shutters with brass or bronze · built-ins and paneled walls in a bright room
Your only window faces north and the room needs to feel open · your fixtures are fixed 4000K LEDs · your floors are orange-toned builder oak · you want a green that quietly passes for gray
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Pewter Green vs Rosemary FAQ
Which is lighter, Pewter Green or Rosemary?
They are practically the same lightness — LRV 12 vs 14. Neither will make the room brighter than the other.
Which is warmer, Pewter Green or Rosemary?
Neither is warm — Rosemary leans cool (green / cool) while Pewter Green stays true neutral.
How similar are Pewter Green and Rosemary?
Pewter Green and Rosemary are very close (ΔE 3.13). 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 Pewter Green and Rosemary together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 3.13 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.
Ask a Question