Iron Ore vs Dover Surf
Where Iron Ore belongs to Sherwin-Williams's range, Dover Surf is a Valspar color. Hue-wise, Iron Ore belongs to the grey family and Dover Surf to the blue family. Dover Surf (LRV 53) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 48 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 50.0, 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 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Iron Ore vs Dover Surf in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Iron Ore and Dover Surf 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 Dover Surf 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. Dover Surf reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Iron Ore vs Dover Surf Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Iron Ore on one side and Dover Surf 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.
