Cheating Heart vs Iron Ore
Where Cheating Heart belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. Cheating Heart (LRV 9) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Cheating Heart runs blue while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. The ΔE 5.0 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 8 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cheating Heart vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
8 real rooms side by side. Cheating Heart and Iron Ore are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The brightness difference is modest but present — Cheating Heart gives the walls a little more lift.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Cheating Heart reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Cheating Heart has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Cheating Heart reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Cheating Heart reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Cheating Heart reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The brightness difference is modest but present — Cheating Heart gives the walls a little more lift.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Cheating Heart reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Cheating Heart vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cheating Heart on one side and Iron Ore on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Cheating Heart comparisons
See how Cheating Heart stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 9, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 9, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 9, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 9, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 9, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (9 vs 4) makes Cheating Heart the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 9, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 9, Artichoke is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 9, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 9, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 25 vs 9, Treron is decisively the brighter choice.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 9), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 9), opening up a space where Cheating Heart encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 9, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 9 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 24 vs 9, Cement grey is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 9, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 9, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.