RAL 840-2 vs Iron Ore
Where RAL 840-2 belongs to RAL Effect's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, RAL 840-2 belongs to the greige-grey family and Iron Ore to the grey family. RAL 840-2 (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 61 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 57.0, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 840-2 vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing RAL 840-2 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 RAL 840-2 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. RAL 840-2 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. RAL 840-2 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. RAL 840-2 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
RAL 840-2 vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 840-2 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 840-2 comparisons
See how RAL 840-2 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 66, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
RAL 840-2 reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
RAL 840-2 reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
RAL 840-2 reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 8-point LRV gap (66 vs 58) makes RAL 840-2 the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 27, RAL 840-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
RAL 840-2 reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (66 vs 55) makes RAL 840-2 the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 44, RAL 840-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 66), opening up a space where RAL 840-2 encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 8-point LRV gap (74 vs 66) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 12, RAL 840-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 66 vs 12, RAL 840-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 45, RAL 840-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
RAL 840-2 reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
RAL 840-2 reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
RAL 840-2 reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
RAL 840-2 reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Just Walnut reads slightly lighter (LRV 72 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.