Coventry Gray (BM HC-169) vs Stonington Gray (BM HC-170)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Stonington Gray, LRV 59.4 vs 48.2.
- Warmer
- Stonington Gray (Lab b* 2.9 vs 1.8). Coventry Gray reads neutral gray; Stonington Gray reads green-gray.
- North rooms
- Stonington Gray keeps more brightness (L* 77.5 vs 71.3 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Chantilly Lace BM 2121-70, #F4F6F1, LRV 90: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 4.5, noticeably different. At 4.5, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
Stonington Gray
More comparisons with Stonington Gray
Coventry Gray (BM HC-169) is darker than Stonington Gray (BM HC-170) and slightly cooler: LRV 48.2 vs 59.4, deltaE 4.5 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Coventry Gray | Stonington Gray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Benjamin Moore | |
| Color code | HC-169 | HC-170 | |
| Hex | #B8BAB6 | #CACBC5 | |
| RGB | 184, 186, 182 | 202, 203, 197 | |
| HSL | 90°, 3%, 72% | 70°, 5%, 78% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 48.2 | 59.4 | −11.2 |
| Lab L* | 75.3 | 81.5 | −6.2 |
| Lab a* | -1.4 | -1.4 | −0.0 |
| Lab b* | 1.8 | 2.9 | −1.1 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Temperature | neutral | neutral | |
| Color family | Gray | Gray |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Coventry Gray (BM HC-169), published as #B8BAB6
#A7B0B4
#CAC4B6
Stonington Gray (BM HC-170), published as #CACBC5
#B9C1C3
#DCD5C5
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Stonington Gray (BM HC-170) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 11.2 LRV points lighter (59.4 vs 48.2), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Coventry Gray (BM HC-169) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 1.8 against 2.9, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Stonington Gray (BM HC-170) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 2.9), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Coventry Gray in other brands
Closest matches to Stonington Gray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Coventry Gray the same color as Stonington Gray?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 4.5. Most people can see the difference between Coventry Gray and Stonington Gray side by side.
- Which is lighter, Coventry Gray or Stonington Gray?
- Stonington Gray, with an LRV of 59.4 against 48.2.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.