Sudbury Yellow vs Iron Ore
Where Sudbury Yellow belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Sudbury Yellow reads as beige-yellow, while Iron Ore reads as grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Sudbury Yellow (LRV 49) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 44 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Sudbury Yellow 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 62.1, 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.
Sudbury Yellow vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Sudbury Yellow 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 Sudbury Yellow 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. Sudbury Yellow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Sudbury Yellow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. Sudbury Yellow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Sudbury Yellow reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Sudbury Yellow vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sudbury Yellow 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 Sudbury Yellow comparisons
See how Sudbury Yellow stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 49, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 49), opening up a space where Sudbury Yellow encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 52 vs 49), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 49 vs 30, Sudbury Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 52 and 49, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 11-point LRV gap (60 vs 49) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Sudbury Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (49 vs 43) makes Sudbury Yellow the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 49 vs 4, Sudbury Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 49), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Sudbury Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Sudbury Yellow reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 49, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 21, Sudbury Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 49), opening up a space where Sudbury Yellow encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 49), opening up a space where Sudbury Yellow encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 49), opening up a space where Sudbury Yellow encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 51 vs 49), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Sudbury Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Sudbury Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 49), opening up a space where Sudbury Yellow encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (49 vs 41) makes Sudbury Yellow the marginally brighter of the two.
Sudbury Yellow reflects far more light (LRV 49 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Sudbury Yellow reads slightly lighter (LRV 49 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 49 vs 31, Sudbury Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 49 vs 7, Sudbury Yellow is decisively the brighter choice.