Pale Pine vs Iron Ore
Where Pale Pine belongs to PPG's range, Iron Ore is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Pale Pine belongs to the yellow family and Iron Ore to the grey family. Pale Pine (LRV 55) reflects noticeably more light than Iron Ore (LRV 6), a difference of 49 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 52.0, 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 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Pale Pine vs Iron Ore in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Pale Pine 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 Pale Pine 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. Pale Pine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Pale Pine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Pale Pine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Pale Pine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Pale Pine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Mudroom
Mudrooms are seen in passing, often under whatever light comes through the door — a context that favors colors with some depth. Pale Pine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Patio
Outside, paint color competes with sky, landscaping, and direct sun — all of which shift how both of these read compared to an indoor chip. Pale Pine returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
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. Pale Pine reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Iron Ore.
Color Details
Pale Pine vs Iron Ore Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Pale Pine 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 Pale Pine comparisons
See how Pale Pine stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 55, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Pine reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Pale Pine reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 55 vs 27, Pale Pine is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Pine reads slightly lighter (LRV 55 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 55 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 11-point LRV gap (55 vs 44) makes Pale Pine the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 55), opening up a space where Pale Pine encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (66 vs 55) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 55, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Pale Pine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 55 vs 8, Pale Pine is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 55, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Pale Pine is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (55 vs 45) makes Pale Pine the marginally brighter of the two.
Pale Pine reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Pale Pine reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.