Inkwell (SW 6992) vs Iron Ore (SW 7069)
Quick decision
- Lighter
- Iron Ore, LRV 6 vs 4.
- Warmer
- Iron Ore (Lab b* 1.2 vs -3.2). Inkwell reads blue-gray; Iron Ore reads neutral gray.
- North rooms
- Iron Ore keeps more brightness (L* 24.4 vs 18.3 in north light); both drift gray about equally.
- Trim that works
- Winsome Grey SW 9624, #E7E9E7, LRV 81: the Sherwin-Williams white closest in hue to both.
- Closeness
- deltaE 6.2, clearly different. At 6.2, treat them as different colors.
See each color
Inkwell (SW 6992) is slightly darker than Iron Ore (SW 7069) and cooler: LRV 4 vs 6, deltaE 6.2 (clearly different).
Side by side
| Measure | Inkwell | Iron Ore | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams | |
| Color code | SW 6992 | SW 7069 | |
| Hex | #31363A | #434341 | |
| RGB | 49, 54, 58 | 67, 67, 65 | |
| HSL | 207°, 8%, 21% | 60°, 2%, 26% | |
| LRV (light reflectance value) | 4 | 6 | −2 |
| Lab L* | 22.3 | 28.4 | −6.1 |
| Lab a* | -1.1 | -0.4 | −0.7 |
| Lab b* | -3.2 | 1.2 | −4.4 |
| Undertone | Cool | Warm Charcoal | |
| Temperature | neutral | neutral | |
| Color family | Black | Black |
Same paint, two kinds of light
Inkwell (SW 6992), published as #31363A
#222E38
#403E3A
Iron Ore (SW 7069), published as #434341
#343B3F
#524B41
These swatches and the rooms above are a simulation, not a measurement. How the visualizer works
Which should you pick
Rules of thumb computed from the LRV and Lab values in the table above; no room test was done.
- Pick Iron Ore (SW 7069) for a small room or a north-facing room, because it is 2 LRV points lighter (6 vs 4), so it bounces back more of the limited light
- Pick Inkwell (SW 6992) for a south-facing room, because its Lab b* is -3.2 against 1.2, so it is the cooler of the two and offsets warm direct sun
- Pick Iron Ore (SW 7069) to warm a north-facing room, because it is the warmer of the two (Lab b* 1.2), which counters cool indirect light
Closest matches to Inkwell in other brands
Closest matches to Iron Ore in other brands
Common questions
- Is Inkwell the same color as Iron Ore?
- They are clearly different: a CIEDE2000 difference of 6.2. Inkwell and Iron Ore are different colors.
- Which is lighter, Inkwell or Iron Ore?
- Iron Ore, with an LRV of 6 against 4.
Full pages
Related comparisons
Sources: LRV and hex as published by the manufacturer, via PaintDB (CC BY 4.0). Color differences are CIEDE2000 values computed by this site from the hex values (data snapshot 2026-10-01). Color names and codes belong to their manufacturers.