What are RAL Colours?

RAL is the colour-matching standard used across European industry to specify paint, powder coating and plastic colours by number instead of by sample. When a specification says an enclosure must be "RAL 7035", every manufacturer, coater and inspector on the project knows precisely which grey that is — no swatches in the post, no argument at handover. This guide explains how the system works, gives you the complete RAL Classic chart, and covers the conversions UK engineers actually need.

Where RAL comes from

The system dates to 1927, when the German Reichs-Ausschuss für Lieferbedingungen — the "National Commission for Delivery Terms", RAL for short — published a set of 40 numbered colours so suppliers and customers could agree a tint by code. The collection was revised in 1961, given supplementary names in the 1960s, and last expanded in 2020. Today's RAL Classic range holds 216 colours, and it remains the default colour language for industrial coatings across Europe, the UK included.

How the numbering works

Every RAL Classic colour is a four-digit code. The first digit places it in a hue family, and the remaining three are simply sequential:

• 1xxx yellows · 2xxx oranges · 3xxx reds · 4xxx violets · 5xxx blues
• 6xxx greens · 7xxx greys · 8xxx browns · 9xxx whites and blacks

The names ("Light grey", "Moss green") are official but secondary — they exist mainly so a transposed digit gets caught. Good practice in a specification is to quote both: RAL 7035 Light grey. One thing the code does not define is gloss level or texture — RAL 7035 in matt and RAL 7035 in high gloss are the same colour. If finish matters, specify it separately.

Classic, Design, Effect — which RAL is which?

RAL Classic (216 colours) is the one industry means by default, and the one this guide charts. RAL Design (1,825 colours, introduced 1993) is a much larger system organised by hue, lightness and chroma for architects and designers — its seven-digit codes (e.g. RAL 270 30 20) are a different scheme entirely, not an extension of Classic. RAL Effect (420 solid plus 70 metallic colours) covers waterborne paint systems. For enclosures, switchgear and street furniture, RAL Classic is almost always what the specification intends.

The complete RAL Classic chart

All 216 colours, grouped by series. Each tile shows the code, official English name, the indicative on-screen hex value and the LRV — Light Reflectance Value, 0 (absolute black) to 100 (pure white) — which matters when you're judging how a cabinet will hold heat in sun or stand out against its surroundings. Click or press a tile to copy its hex value.

A necessary warning, in plain terms: no screen can show a true RAL colour. The swatches below are honest approximations for orientation, but monitors vary and RAL is defined by physical paint masters, not RGB. For any decision that matters — matching an existing installation, satisfying a planning condition — check against a physical RAL K7 or K5 fan deck before you sign anything off.

RAL and British Standard colours

UK specifications often arrive written against BS 4800 (building and decorative paints) or BS 381C (the older specification colours standard) rather than RAL — we've charted both in our companion guide, What are British Standard colours?. The systems are separate — there are no exact equivalents, only nearest matches, and a "close" conversion can still be visibly different on a two-metre cabinet door. Published cross-reference charts give the nearest RAL for each BS reference; treat them as a starting point and confirm against physical samples where the match matters.

A worked example from our own range: the traditional UK roadside cabinet green, BS 4800 14-C-39 Hollybush, sits closest to RAL 6025 Fern green — near, but not identical. If your scheme demands the exact BS reference, specify the BS reference; if it demands RAL, specify RAL. Don't let a contractor "convert" silently mid-project.

The RAL colours you'll actually meet on enclosures

A handful of codes do most of the work in the electrical world:

• RAL 7035 Light grey — the default for electrical cabinets, control panels and switchgear across Europe. High LRV (58), so it stays cooler in sun than darker finishes.
• RAL 7032 Pebble grey — the warmer pre-7035 standard; still common on older installations and frequently specified for repaint matches.
• RAL 7016 Anthracite grey — the modern architectural favourite, widely requested where cabinets must match dark window frames and street furniture.
• RAL 6005 Moss green — the deep green of UK roadside and rural installations, chosen to recede into hedgerows and verges.
• RAL 9010 Pure white / RAL 9005 Jet black — the bookends: plant rooms and clean areas at one end, visual-minimum urban installs at the other.
• RAL 3000 Flame red — fire equipment housings and emergency installations.

Worth knowing for GRP in particular: on our enclosures the colour is pigmented through the gelcoat itself rather than painted on, so a scratch shows the same colour underneath and there is no coating to fail. Our standard finishes are the traditional roadside green and grey, and with a little notice we can produce any enclosure in the range to the RAL colour your scheme specifies.

Quick answers

Is RAL the same as Pantone?

No. Pantone is a graphic-arts and print system; RAL is the industrial coatings standard. They don't share codes and conversions between them are approximate. For painted or powder-coated hardware, specify RAL.

What's the most popular RAL colour?

RAL 9010 Pure white is generally cited as the best-known, with RAL 7016 Anthracite grey the runaway modern favourite for exterior architectural metalwork — and RAL 7035 the quiet workhorse inside every switchroom.

Can I pick a RAL colour from this page?

Shortlist from it, yes — commit from it, no. Confirm against a physical RAL fan (K7 is the affordable one; K5 shows larger patches) or a coated sample plate before production.