RAL 790-5 vs Iron Ore
RAL 790-5 is a RAL Effect color while Iron Ore comes from Sherwin-Williams. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. With LRVs of 4 and 6, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. At ΔE 15.4, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 790-5 vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing RAL 790-5 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
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Color Details
RAL 790-5 vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 790-5 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 RAL 790-5 comparisons
See how RAL 790-5 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 4, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 4, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 4, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 4, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 4, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
Pewter Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Duck Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 8 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
Vintage Vogue reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 4), opening up a space where RAL 790-5 encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 4, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.
A 3-point LRV gap (7 vs 4) makes Pine Needle the marginally brighter of the two.