Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) vs Agreeable Gray (SW 7029)
Illustrative room. Screen colors vary; test a sample before you paint.
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Edgecomb Gray, LRV 63.1 vs 60.
- Warmer
- Edgecomb Gray, both greige (Lab b* 8.2 vs 5.7).
- North rooms
- Edgecomb Gray keeps more brightness (L* 80.7 vs 77.9 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- White Blush BM 904, #F6F0E1, LRV 84.7: the Benjamin Moore white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 2.9, noticeably different. At 2.9, test both: on a full wall the difference will show.
See each color
More comparisons with Edgecomb Gray
More comparisons with Agreeable Gray
Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) is slightly lighter than Agreeable Gray (SW 7029) and slightly warmer: LRV 63.1 vs 60, deltaE 2.9 (noticeably different).
Side by side
| Measure | Edgecomb Gray | Agreeable Gray | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Benjamin Moore | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | HC-173 | SW 7029 | |
| Hex | #D9D3C4 | #D1CBC1 | |
| RGB | 217, 211, 196 | 209, 203, 193 | |
| HSL | 43°, 22%, 81% | 37°, 15%, 79% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 63.1 | 60 | +3.1 |
| Lab L* | 84.7 | 81.9 | +2.8 |
| Lab a* | -0.5 | 0.3 | −0.8 |
| Lab b* | 8.2 | 5.7 | +2.4 |
| Undertone | Neutral | Warm Beige | |
| Temperature | warm | warm | |
| Color family | Greige | Greige |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173), published as #D9D3C4
#C8C9C2
#EBDDC4
Agreeable Gray (SW 7029), published as #D1CBC1
#C0C1BF
#E3D5C1
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 Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 3.1 LRV points lighter (63.1 vs 60), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Agreeable Gray (SW 7029) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is 5.7 against 8.2, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Edgecomb Gray (BM HC-173) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 8.2), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Edgecomb Gray in other brands
Closest matches to Agreeable Gray in other brands
Common questions
- Is Edgecomb Gray the same color as Agreeable Gray?
- They are noticeably different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 2.9. Most people can see the difference between Edgecomb Gray and Agreeable Gray side by side.
- Which is lighter, Edgecomb Gray or Agreeable Gray?
- Edgecomb Gray, with an LRV of 63.1 against 60.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: Edgecomb Gray: LRV and hex from Benjamin Moore technical data (verified 2026-10-02); Agreeable Gray: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). 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.