Covington Blue vs Iron Ore
Where Covington Blue belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Covington Blue belongs to the blue-green family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Covington Blue (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 38 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Covington Blue runs green while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 44.6, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Covington Blue vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Covington Blue 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
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 LRV gap is large enough that Covington Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
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. Covington Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. Covington Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Covington Blue will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Covington Blue reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Covington Blue vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Covington Blue 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 Covington Blue comparisons
See how Covington Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 43), opening up a space where Covington Blue encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 43, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Covington Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 43) makes Mizzle the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 43), opening up a space where Covington Blue encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 43, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 43 vs 27, Covington Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 43 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Covington Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (55 vs 43) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 43 vs 13, Covington Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 43), opening up a space where Covington Blue encloses it.
Covington Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 43, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 43, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 43, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reads slightly lighter (LRV 51 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 12, Covington Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 43 vs 8, Covington Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 43, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 43 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 43 vs 12, Covington Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Covington Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Covington Blue reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.