Ball Green vs Iron Ore
Where Ball Green belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Ball Green reads as beige-green, while Iron Ore reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Ball Green (LRV 45) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 40 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Ball Green runs warm while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 46.9, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Ball Green vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Ball Green 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 Ball Green will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Ball Green reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Ball Green returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Ball Green 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 Ball Green 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. Ball Green reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Ball Green vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Ball Green 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 Ball Green comparisons
See how Ball Green stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 45), opening up a space where Ball Green encloses it.
At LRV 69 vs 45, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (52 vs 45) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 30, Ball Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 45, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 45), opening up a space where Ball Green encloses it.
Ball Green reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 4, Ball Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Ball Green reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 45 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 45, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 21, Ball Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 45), opening up a space where Ball Green encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 45), opening up a space where Ball Green encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 45), opening up a space where Ball Green encloses it.
Ball Green reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 45), opening up a space where Ball Green encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (45 vs 41) makes Ball Green the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 45, Calamine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 25, Ball Green is decisively the brighter choice.
Ball Green reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 45 and 45, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 45 vs 31, Ball Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 7, Ball Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 24, Ball Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 45, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 45, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.