Citrine vs Iron Ore
Citrine and Iron Ore come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Hue-wise, Citrine belongs to the yellow family and Iron Ore to the grey family. The 76-point LRV gap — 82 for Citrine vs 6 for Iron Ore — means Citrine will open up a space more effectively. Both share a neutral character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 65.4 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.
Citrine vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Citrine 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. Citrine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
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. Citrine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Citrine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Citrine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
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. Citrine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Citrine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Citrine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
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 LRV gap is large enough that Citrine will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
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. Citrine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Citrine vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Citrine 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 Citrine comparisons
See how Citrine stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 82), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 82 vs 58, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 82 vs 27, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 82 vs 55, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 82 vs 44, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 84 and 82, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 82 vs 66, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (82 vs 74) makes Citrine the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 82 vs 12, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 82 vs 68, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 82 vs 12, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 82 vs 45, Citrine is decisively the brighter choice.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Citrine reflects far more light (LRV 82 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.
Citrine reads slightly lighter (LRV 82 vs 72), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.