Cotton vs Iron Ore
Cotton (Cloverdale Paint) and Iron Ore (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Cotton belongs to the beige-greige family and Iron Ore to the grey family. The 75-point LRV gap — 81 for Cotton vs 6 for Iron Ore — means Cotton will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 63.7 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cotton vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Cotton 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. Cotton 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. Cotton 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. Cotton 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 Cotton 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. Cotton returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Cotton vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cotton 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 Cotton comparisons
See how Cotton stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 81), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 58, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 27, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 55, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 44, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 81), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 81 vs 66, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (81 vs 74) makes Cotton the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 81 vs 12, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 8, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 68, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 12, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 45, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.