RAL 850-2 vs Iron Ore
Where RAL 850-2 belongs to RAL Effect'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. RAL 850-2 (LRV 44) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 38 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 43.7, 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 850-2 vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing RAL 850-2 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 850-2 will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
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 850-2 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. RAL 850-2 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 850-2 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
RAL 850-2 vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 850-2 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 850-2 comparisons
See how RAL 850-2 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 850-2 encloses it.
A 8-point LRV gap (52 vs 44) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 30, RAL 850-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 44, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 850-2 encloses it.
RAL 850-2 reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 43), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 44 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 44, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 850-2 encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 850-2 encloses it.
RAL 850-2 reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 850-2 encloses it.
RAL 850-2 reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
With LRVs of 45 and 44, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 44 vs 31, RAL 850-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 7, RAL 850-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 24, RAL 850-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 57 vs 44, Guilford Green is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 72 vs 44, Just Walnut is decisively the brighter choice.