Merino vs Iron Ore
Merino (Cloverdale Paint) and Iron Ore (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Merino belongs to the beige-greige family and Iron Ore to the grey family. The 52-point LRV gap — 58 for Merino vs 6 for Iron Ore — means Merino will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 53.1 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.
Merino vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Merino 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. Merino 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. Merino 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. Merino 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 Merino 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. Merino returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Merino vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Merino 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 Merino comparisons
See how Merino stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 58), opening up a space where Merino encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (58 vs 52) makes Merino the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 30, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 58 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 43, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 58 and 55, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 58, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 58), opening up a space where Merino encloses it.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Merino reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 31, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 7, Merino is decisively the brighter choice.