Iron Ore vs Reddened Earth
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Iron Ore belongs to the grey family and Reddened Earth to the pink-red family. Reddened Earth (LRV 19) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 14 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Iron Ore runs neutral while Reddened Earth is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 30.8, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Iron Ore vs Reddened Earth in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Iron Ore and Reddened Earth 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 Reddened Earth will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Iron Ore would.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Reddened Earth reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Iron Ore vs Reddened Earth Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Iron Ore on one side and Reddened Earth 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 Iron Ore comparisons
See how Iron Ore stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
