Pointing vs Iron Ore
Where Pointing belongs to Farrow & Ball's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Pointing belongs to the beige family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Pointing (LRV 88) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 83 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Pointing runs warm while Iron Ore is decidedly neutral, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 67.2, 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 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pointing vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pointing 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 Pointing 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. Pointing 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. Pointing reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Pointing vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pointing 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 Pointing comparisons
See how Pointing stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 5-point LRV gap (88 vs 83) makes Pointing the marginally brighter of the two.
Pointing reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Pointing reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Pointing reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 58, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 27, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
Pointing reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 88 vs 55, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 44, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
Pointing reads slightly lighter (LRV 88 vs 84), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 88 vs 66, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 74, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 12, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 8, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 68, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 12, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 88 vs 45, Pointing is decisively the brighter choice.
Pointing reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Pointing reflects far more light (LRV 88 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.