Sherwin-Williams CyberspacevsSherwin-Williams Iron Ore
Why this comparison: Cyberspace carries a blue cast; Iron Ore stays neutral — exterior favorites both. Cyberspace and Iron Ore are very close (ΔE 4.79). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light.
Built from our full reviews of both colors — same measured data, same real-room photos. About the testing process →
The Numbers
LRV is essentially equal (6 vs 6) — both reflect light the same.
What Each Color Really Is
A charcoal with blue inside it — and the word doing the work is "inside." The hue direction is genuinely blue, the blue of an overcast sky rather than a royal or a teal, but there is so much gray mixed in that the color spends most of its life reading as a very dark gray. On a two-inch chip almost nobody sees blue. On a whole wall, with daylight on it, the blue steps out. That gap between the chip and the wall is where nearly every surprise with this color starts.
Its LRV is 7, which means about seven percent of the light hitting the wall comes back at you. A white ceiling gives back more than ten times that. So a room in Cyberspace does not get brighter — it gets quieter and smaller, and it runs on lamps and windows instead of bounce. Depth is not what separates it from the other near-blacks either: Iron Ore SW 7069 sits at LRV 6, one point away. The difference between them is temperature, not darkness.
It is a near-black charcoal that is only barely a color at all. Saturation sits at 7 percent — a hair away from pure gray — with the hue at 210 degrees, which is the blue part of the wheel. That means you will almost never look at an Iron Ore wall and think "blue." What you notice instead is what is missing: there is no brown in it. Put it beside a warm charcoal and Iron Ore looks scrubbed clean and a little steely. This is also why people argue about it online — one person swears theirs went green, the next swears theirs went navy. Both are right. A color this close to neutral has almost nothing of its own to show, so it borrows from whatever is bouncing into it: a lawn pushes it green, a bright sky pushes it navy, a warm bulb pushes it soft and inky.
LRV 6 means it reflects about six percent of the light that hits it and absorbs the rest. The useful comparison is Tricorn Black (SW 6258) at LRV 3. Three points sounds like nothing; on a wall it is the whole difference. Tricorn is a flat hole in the room — light goes in and nothing comes back. Iron Ore keeps just enough reflectance that in a sunbeam or under a picture light you can still see it is charcoal, with the edges of trim and panel molding readable instead of dissolved. It is black with dimension left in it, which is exactly why it beat every other black on cabinets and facades.
Specs Side by Side
| Spec | Cyberspace | Iron Ore |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Sherwin-Williams | Sherwin-Williams |
| SKU | SW 7076 | SW 7069 |
| Hex | #44484D | #434341 |
| RGB | 68, 72, 77 | 67, 67, 65 |
| LRV | 6 | 6 |
| Undertone | blue / cool | true neutral |
| Family | Gray | Black |
How Light Changes Them
Cool daylight brings the blue right out. Gorgeous — add warm lamps so it does not feel cold.
Warm sun cancels part of the blue and it settles into a deep slate charcoal.
2700K lamps make it cozy and near-black. 4000K LEDs push it blue and clinical.
With no daylight the hue disappears and you are simply living with black.
Cool weak light kills the charcoal and it reads flat black. Fine on cabinets, heavy on walls.
Strong light lifts it to a real dark charcoal — this is where you see it as a color, not a void.
2700K bulbs soften it into an inky soft black. It genuinely looks better at night.
Sky and lawn bounce straight into it. Expect the shaded side and the sunny side to disagree.
Both Colors in Real Rooms
Photos from our full reviews — the same rooms and captions, so you can judge each color where it actually lives, not on a chip.
When to Pick Which
Home offices and libraries meant to feel enclosed · kitchen islands and lower cabinets · powder rooms painted wall-to-ceiling · exteriors with wide white trim
The room is dim and you truly want navy · your trim and cabinets are cream · it is the only bright room you have · the wall faces hard afternoon sun
Whole exteriors, siding and shutters · front doors against light siding · kitchen islands, cabinets and built-ins · a study, library or powder room you want to feel enveloping
The room is small, dim and north-facing · your windows, gutters or roof are already true black · you are painting vinyl siding · you actually want a warm, cozy dark
No comparison page can see your light. Upload one photo of your room and try both colors on the same walls, seconds apart.
Cyberspace vs Iron Ore FAQ
Which is lighter, Cyberspace or Iron Ore?
They are practically the same lightness — LRV 6 vs 6. Neither will make the room brighter than the other.
Which is warmer, Cyberspace or Iron Ore?
Neither is warm — Cyberspace leans cool (blue / cool) while Iron Ore stays true neutral.
How similar are Cyberspace and Iron Ore?
Cyberspace and Iron Ore are very close (ΔE 4.79). The difference shows up most in side-by-side comparison and under specific light. The only reliable test is seeing both in your own room and light — a side-by-side on a screen or chip flattens the difference.
Can I use Cyberspace and Iron Ore together in one house?
Not in the same room, and be careful in the same house. At ΔE 4.79 they are so close that two walls in each will read as a tinting mistake, not a design choice. Pick one, or keep them on different floors where they are never seen together.
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