Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain: Undertones, LRV, & Best Uses

If you’re wondering whether Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain is gray or brown, you aren’t the only one. Along with its undertones, many wonder exactly what type of color this is, and where they can use it.

More so than many of the other dark shades, Iron Mountain is a tough one to get a read on, which is why we’re taking a closer look at it via its very own color review…

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IS IRON MOUNTAIN GRAY OR BROWN? WARM OR COOL?

Iron Mountain is a warm gray paint color with very subtle undertones, suited to walls, exteriors, cabinets, and trim!

One reason why Iron Mountain confuses people is that if you look above it on its color strip (in the fan deck or in-store), you’ll see lighter shades of gray, like Gull Wing Gray and Whitestone. However, go UNDERNEATH Iron Mountain, and you’ll see super dark mahogany BROWN-inspired colors like Midsummer Night and Night Horizon!

While Iron Mountain tries to straddle both the warm and cool worlds, give it the right environment, and that wink of warm brown peeks through!

And here’s that warmth now…

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IRON MOUNTAIN’S LRV

Iron Mountain has an LRV of 10.96 (according to Benjamin Moore’s website). And even though it’s often called a ‘soft black paint color,’ it’s too light to be that. Sure, it’s DARK, but not so dark that it will look black. Iron Mountain would need to be approx 3+ LRV points lower to be black.

If you have a dark room, the LRV of Iron Mountain helps it appear a bit lighter, preventing it from looking dark and sharp. However, with its LIMITED undertones/degree of color or chroma, don’t expect any screamin’ glory.

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WHAT ARE ITS UNDERTONES?

Benjamin Moore’s Iron Mountain might look like a dark gray, but a wee touch of brown gives it a subtle warmth in some lights. And while in the ODD light, it might appear with a touch of a purple undertone; it’s fractional at best. As for a green undertone, it doesn’t contain green, but could be encouraged in some lighting situations.

Overall, Iron Mountain usually settles as a pretty darn neutral gray paint color. 

Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Iron Mountain

WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM WITH IT?

Iron Mountain is reasonably flexible regarding its favorite white paint colors, including Sherwin Williams Pure White and Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.

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IS IT A GOOD EXTERIOR COLOR?

Benjamin Moore Iron Mountain is a gorgeous exterior paint color (as shown earlier). Keep in mind that it could look WARMER than you expect, with that lovely brown rising to the occasion. Iron Mountain looks particularly nice up against black windows, whether they have white trim between them or not.

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IS IT GOOD FOR CABINETS OR ISLANDS?

While I wouldn’t paint an entire kitchen Iron Mountain, it’s an interesting choice for an island, especially with some of the older-style granite countertops that have colors like this in them. Long story short, no, Iron Mountain isn’t popular for cabinets, as there are far more popular colors for kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities.

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WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO IRON MOUNTAIN?

Sherwin William’s Peppercorn and Iron Mountain are very similar in their intentions. However, there are ALWAYS shifts in undertones, as no two colors are created equal! Sample and compare both to see which best suits your project.

WHICH COLORS GO WITH IT IN A PALETTE?

If you want colors that go with Iron Mountain, it’s a bit fussy due to its very subtle, passive warmth. Here are some ideas to get you started…

• soft and subtle warm whites or true whites
• avoid shades of blue-green, (as colors or undertones)
• try some subtle warm gray paint colors, but avoid obvious green undertones (lean into violet)
• fun and funky green paint colors can look wicked pretty with Iron Mountain (i.e. Iron Mountain siding, green front door)

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