Boulder Creek vs Iron Ore
Where Boulder Creek belongs to PPG's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Boulder Creek belongs to the greige-grey family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Boulder Creek (LRV 42) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 36 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 43.1, 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 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Boulder Creek vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Boulder Creek 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 Boulder Creek 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. Boulder Creek 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. Boulder Creek 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. Boulder Creek 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. Boulder Creek reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Boulder Creek reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Boulder Creek returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Patio
Outside, paint color competes with sky, landscaping, and direct sun — all of which shift how both of these read compared to an indoor chip. Boulder Creek returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Boulder Creek 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 Boulder Creek will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Color Details
Boulder Creek vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Boulder Creek 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 Boulder Creek comparisons
See how Boulder Creek stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 42, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Boulder Creek encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (52 vs 42) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 12-point LRV gap (42 vs 30) makes Boulder Creek the marginally brighter of the two.
Mizzle reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 60 vs 42, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 42), opening up a space where Boulder Creek encloses it.
Boulder Creek reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 42), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 42 vs 4, Boulder Creek is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 42), opening up a space where Boulder Creek encloses it.
Boulder Creek reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 42, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 42, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 42 vs 21, Boulder Creek is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 42), opening up a space where Boulder Creek encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 42), opening up a space where Boulder Creek encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 42), opening up a space where Boulder Creek encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (51 vs 42) makes Pigeon the marginally brighter of the two.
Boulder Creek reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Boulder Creek reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 42), opening up a space where Boulder Creek encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 42 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Boulder Creek reflects far more light (LRV 42 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 42), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 11-point LRV gap (42 vs 31) makes Boulder Creek the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 42 vs 7, Boulder Creek is decisively the brighter choice.