Steeple Gray vs Iron Ore
Where Steeple Gray belongs to PPG's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Steeple Gray (LRV 30) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 33.1, 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.
Steeple Gray vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Steeple Gray 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 Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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. Steeple Gray 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 Steeple Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Color Details
Steeple Gray vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steeple Gray 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 Steeple Gray comparisons
See how Steeple Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 30, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 30, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 30 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 30, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Steeple Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 27), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 30, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 4, Steeple Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Steeple Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 30, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 9-point LRV gap (30 vs 21) makes Steeple Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 30, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Steeple Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Steeple Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (41 vs 30) makes Dix Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Steeple Gray reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 30), opening up a space where Steeple Gray encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 31 vs 30), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 30 vs 7, Steeple Gray is decisively the brighter choice.