Cinnamon Slate vs Iron Ore
Cinnamon Slate (Benjamin Moore) and Iron Ore (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. The 14-point LRV gap — 20 for Cinnamon Slate vs 6 for Iron Ore — means Cinnamon Slate will open up a space more effectively. Where Cinnamon Slate leans red, Iron Ore reads neutral — a distinction that shifts noticeably depending on the light source and surrounding finishes. A ΔE of 24.1 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 9 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cinnamon Slate vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
9 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cinnamon Slate and Iron Ore in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Cinnamon Slate reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Cinnamon Slate returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Cinnamon Slate returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Cinnamon Slate will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Cinnamon Slate returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Cinnamon Slate returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Cinnamon Slate will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Cinnamon Slate returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Cinnamon Slate reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Cinnamon Slate vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cinnamon Slate 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 Cinnamon Slate comparisons
See how Cinnamon Slate stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 20, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 52 vs 20, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (30 vs 20) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 20, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 20), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 20, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 20 vs 4, Cinnamon Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
Cinnamon Slate reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 20, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 21 vs 20), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
Cinnamon Slate reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 20, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 20, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (25 vs 20) makes Treron the marginally brighter of the two.
Cinnamon Slate reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 20), opening up a space where Cinnamon Slate encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (31 vs 20) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 20 vs 7, Cinnamon Slate is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (24 vs 20) makes Cement grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 57 vs 20, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 20, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.