Iron Ore Red vs French Gray

Iron Ore RedBenjamin MoorevsFrench GrayFarrow & BallΔE 46.2Very different colors

Where Iron Ore Red belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, French Gray is a Farrow & Ball color. Hue-wise, Iron Ore Red belongs to the pink-red family and French Gray to the beige-greige family. French Gray (LRV 43) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore Red (LRV 16), a difference of 27 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Iron Ore Red runs red while French Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 46.2, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Iron Ore Red vs French Gray in Real Spaces

1 real room side by side. Seeing Iron Ore Red and French Gray 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 French Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore Red would.

Iron Ore RedBenjamin Moore Iron Ore Red hallway color review

@fionadukeinteriors

French GrayFarrow and Ball 18 living room paint

@over_at_overview

Color Details

Iron Ore Red
Benjamin Moore · 2089-10
Hex#A95445
LRV16.2
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number2089-10
UndertoneRed
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessDark
French Gray
Farrow & Ball · 18
Hex#b5b19a
LRV43.3
BrandFarrow & Ball
Number18
Undertone
TemperatureWarm
BrightnessMedium

Iron Ore Red vs French Gray Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Iron Ore Red on one side and French Gray on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Iron Ore Red comparisons

See how Iron Ore Red stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

White Dove
Iron Ore Red
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
White Dove
LRV 83

White Dove is the lighter choice

Ammonite
Iron Ore Red
Ammonite
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

Ammonite is the lighter choice

Iron Ore
Iron Ore Red
Iron Ore
Sherwin-Williams
Iron Ore
LRV 6

Iron Ore Red reads slightly lighter

Purbeck Stone
Iron Ore Red
Purbeck Stone
Farrow & Ball
Purbeck Stone
LRV 52

Purbeck Stone is the lighter choice

Evergreen Fog
Iron Ore Red
Evergreen Fog
Sherwin-Williams
Evergreen Fog
LRV 30

Evergreen Fog reads noticeably lighter

Mizzle
Iron Ore Red
Mizzle
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

Mizzle is the lighter choice

Agreeable Gray
Iron Ore Red
Agreeable Gray
Sherwin-Williams
Agreeable Gray
LRV 60

Agreeable Gray is the lighter choice

Denim Drift
Iron Ore Red
Denim Drift
Dulux
Denim Drift
LRV 27

Denim Drift reads slightly lighter

Tranquil Dawn
Iron Ore Red
Tranquil Dawn
Dulux
Tranquil Dawn
LRV 55

Tranquil Dawn is the lighter choice

Balboa Mist
Iron Ore Red
Balboa Mist
Benjamin Moore
Balboa Mist
LRV 66

Balboa Mist is the lighter choice

Vintage Vogue
Iron Ore Red
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Vintage Vogue
LRV 12

Iron Ore Red reads slightly lighter

Pale Green
Iron Ore Red
Pale Green
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

Pale Green reads noticeably lighter

Pine Needle
Iron Ore Red
Pine Needle
Dulux
Pine Needle
LRV 7

Iron Ore Red reads slightly lighter

Cement grey
Iron Ore Red
Cement grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Cement grey
LRV 24

Cement grey reads slightly lighter

Black grey
Iron Ore Red
Black grey
RAL ClassicClassic
Black grey
LRV 6

Iron Ore Red reads slightly lighter

Piazza
Iron Ore Red
Piazza
Tikkurila
Piazza
LRV 65

Piazza is the lighter choice

Humble Yellow
Iron Ore Red
Humble Yellow
Jotun
Humble Yellow
LRV 57

Humble Yellow is the lighter choice

Windmill Lane
Iron Ore Red
Windmill Lane
Little Greene
Windmill Lane
LRV 31

Windmill Lane reads noticeably lighter

Senses
Iron Ore Red
Senses
Jotun
Senses
LRV 41

Senses is the lighter choice

Lamp Black
Iron Ore Red
Lamp Black
Little Greene
Lamp Black
LRV 3

Iron Ore Red reads noticeably lighter

Washed Linen
Iron Ore Red
Washed Linen
Jotun
Washed Linen
LRV 55

Washed Linen is the lighter choice

Tea with Florence
Iron Ore Red
Tea with Florence
Little Greene
Tea with Florence
LRV 18

Nearly identical in tone

Thames Fog
Iron Ore Red
Thames Fog
Valspar
Thames Fog
LRV 27

Thames Fog reads slightly lighter

Ocean Abyss
Iron Ore Red
Ocean Abyss
Behr
Ocean Abyss
LRV 7

Iron Ore Red reads slightly lighter

Classic Silver
Iron Ore Red
Classic Silver
Behr
Classic Silver
LRV 48

Classic Silver is the lighter choice

Teton Blue
Iron Ore Red
Teton Blue
Behr
Teton Blue
LRV 31

Teton Blue reads noticeably lighter

RAL 110-2
Iron Ore Red
RAL 110-2
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-2
LRV 72

RAL 110-2 is the lighter choice

RAL 110-1
Iron Ore Red
RAL 110-1
RAL EffectEffect
RAL 110-1
LRV 80

RAL 110-1 is the lighter choice

Paper
Iron Ore Red
Paper
Tikkurila
Paper
LRV 88

Paper is the lighter choice

Passageway
Iron Ore Red
Passageway
Valspar
Passageway
LRV 14

Nearly identical in tone