Paint Color Compare Tool

Delta E (ΔE) is a scientific measurement of the difference between two colors. The scale goes from 0 (identical) to 100+ (completely opposite). In practical terms: Delta E under 1 means the colors are indistinguishable to the human eye. Under 3 means you can only tell them apart side by side. Under 10 means they are clearly different but in the same family. Over 25 means they are completely different colors. Professional painters use Delta E to determine if two paint batches will look the same on a wall.

LRV measures how much light a paint color reflects on a scale of 0 (pure black, absorbs all light) to 100 (pure white, reflects all light). For rooms with limited natural light, choose colors with an LRV above 50 to keep the space feeling open. Dark accent walls typically have an LRV of 10-30. Most popular whole-house colors like Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) and Revere Pewter (LRV 55) fall in the sweet spot of 50-65, where they feel warm without making rooms feel small.

This effect is called metamerism. Every light source has a different color temperature measured in Kelvin. Warm incandescent bulbs (2700K) push colors toward yellow and orange. Cool LED lights (5000K+) push them toward blue. Natural daylight changes throughout the day. A gray paint might look blue in north-facing light and warm beige under incandescent bulbs. That is why professional painters always recommend testing samples in your actual room at different times of day before committing to a color.

Both are professional-grade paint brands that we use daily. Benjamin Moore is known for its Aura and Regal Select lines with excellent coverage and color accuracy. Sherwin-Williams is known for its Duration and Emerald lines with exceptional durability. The real difference comes down to color selection and local availability. Many popular colors have near-identical matches between brands. Our cross-brand matching feature above helps you find the closest equivalent if you love a Benjamin Moore color but want to use Sherwin-Williams, or vice versa.

The safest approach is to match undertones. If your main wall color has a blue undertone, your trim and accent colors should also lean blue. Our palette suggestion tool uses color theory to find complementary colors (opposite on the color wheel for contrast), analogous colors (next to each other for harmony), and triadic colors (evenly spaced for balanced variety). For most homes, we recommend choosing one main color, one lighter shade for trim, and one accent for a feature wall or front door.