Gray Flannel vs Iron Ore
Gray Flannel (PPG) and Iron Ore (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 4-point LRV gap — 10 for Gray Flannel vs 6 for Iron Ore — means Gray Flannel will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 11.1 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Gray Flannel vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Gray Flannel 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. Gray Flannel reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Gray Flannel has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Gray Flannel has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The brightness difference is modest but present — Gray Flannel gives the walls a little more lift.
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. Gray Flannel has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Gray Flannel has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The brightness difference is modest but present — Gray Flannel gives the walls a little more lift.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The brightness difference is modest but present — Gray Flannel gives the walls a little more lift.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Gray Flannel has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. Gray Flannel reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Color Details
Gray Flannel vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Gray Flannel 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 Gray Flannel comparisons
See how Gray Flannel stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 10, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 10, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 10, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 10, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 10, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (10 vs 4) makes Gray Flannel the marginally brighter of the two.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
Bancha reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 10), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 10, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (21 vs 10) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 10, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
With LRVs of 10 and 8, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 10, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 12 and 10, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 10), opening up a space where Gray Flannel encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 10, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (10 vs 7) makes Gray Flannel the marginally brighter of the two.