View source for RAL colour standard

{{Short description|Colour matching system}} 
{{Use British English|date=March 2022}}
[[File:RAL Colours logo.svg|200px|right|thumb|RAL Colours logo]]

'''RAL''' is a [[color management|colour management system]] used in Europe that is created and administered by the German {{ill|RAL gGmbH|de|RAL gemeinnützige GmbH}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Imprint |url=http://www.ral-farben.de/content/footer-navigation/weitere-seiten/imprint.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606124444/http://www.ral-farben.de/content/footer-navigation/weitere-seiten/imprint.html |archive-date=6 Jun 2016 |access-date=15 June 2016 |website=RAL Farben}}</ref> (RAL non-profit LLC), which is a subsidiary of the German {{ill|RAL Institute|de|RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung}}. In colloquial speech, RAL refers to the RAL Classic system, mainly used for [[varnish]] and [[powder coating]], but now plastics as well. Approved RAL products are provided with a hologram to make unauthorised versions difficult to produce. Imitations may show different hue and colour when observed under various light sources.

==RAL colour space system==
{{See also|List of RAL colours}}
[[File:RAL K5 Fächer RGB.jpg|thumb|RAL CLASSIC K5 colour fan]]

===RAL Classic===
In 1927, the German group {{Lang|de|Reichs-Ausschuß für Lieferbedingungen}} (Imperial Committee for Delivery and Quality Assurance) invented a collection of forty colours under the name of "RAL 840".<ref>{{cite web|title=RAL Colours history|url=http://www.ral-farben.de/content/about-ral-colours/ral-colours-history.html|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref> Prior to that date, manufacturers and customers had to exchange samples to describe a [[tint]], whereas from then on they would rely on numbers.<ref>{{cite web|title=RAL Historie|url=https://www.ral-logolizenz.com/fileadmin/lib/pdf/RAL_Historie.pdf|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref>

In the 1930s, the numbers were changed uniformly to four digits and the collection was renamed to "RAL 840 R" (R for revised).
Around 1940, the RAL colours were changed to the four-digit system, as is customary. Army camouflage colours were always recognized by a "7" or "8" in the first place until 1944. 
With tints constantly added to the collection, it was revised again in 1961 and changed to "RAL 840-HR", which consists of 210 colours and is in use to this day. In the 1960s, the colours were given supplemental names to avoid confusion in case of transposed digits. At the international furnishing fair ''[[imm Cologne]]'', 13-19 January 2020, two new colours were presented in the Classic Collection: {{colorsample|#FC5500|description=sample of RAL 2017}} RAL 2017 RAL orange and {{colorsample|#F8F2E1|description=sample of RAL 9012}} RAL 9012 Cleanroom White.<ref name="ral-imm">{{Cite web | url = https://www.ral-farben.de/content/about-ral-colours/press-releases/ral-farben-pm/article/ral-farben-auf-der-imm-cologne-2020-die-internationale-einrichtungsmesse.html | title = RAL COLOURS at imm cologne 2020 – The international furnishing fair | date = 10 January 2020 | publisher = ral-farben.de | access-date = 29 February 2020 }}</ref>

"RAL 840-HR" covered only matte paint, so the 1980s saw the invention of "RAL 841-GL" for glossy surfaces, limited to 193 colours.<ref>{{cite web|title=The RAL CLASSIC Colour Collection|url=http://www.ral-farben.de/en/PRODUCTS-SHOP/RAL-CLASSIC/|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref> A main criterion for colours in the RAL Classic collection is to be of "paramount interest". Therefore, most of the colours in it are used on warning and [[traffic sign]]s or are dedicated to government agencies and public services (for example: {{colorsample|#E49E00|description=sample of RAL 1004}} RAL 1004 - Swiss [[Postal Service]], {{colorsample|#F6B600|description=sample of RAL 1021}} RAL 1021 - Austrian Postal Service, {{colorsample|#E2A300|description=sample of RAL 1032}} RAL 1032 - German Postal Service).<ref>{{cite web |title=How is the RAL CLASSIC colour collection structured? |url=http://www.ral-farben.de/content/application-help/faqs/faqs-questions-about-ral-classic.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809074717/http://www.ral-farben.de/content/application-help/faqs/faqs-questions-about-ral-classic.html |archive-date=9 Aug 2016 |access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref> The first digit relates to the shade of the colour:
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Overview of the RAL colour standard
!scope="col"| Range
!scope="col"| Range Name
!scope="col"| First
!scope="col"| Last
!scope="col"| Quantity
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 1xxx
| Yellow || {{colorsample|#F3F1F1|description=sample of RAL 1000}} [[RAL 1000]] Green beige || {{colorsample|#F09200|description=sample of RAL 1037}} RAL 1037 Sun yellow || 30
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 2xxx
| Orange || {{colorsample|#DA6E00|description=sample of RAL 2000}} [[RAL 2000]] Yellow orange || {{colorsample|#FC5500|description=sample of RAL 2017}} RAL 2017 RAL orange || 14
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 3xxx
| Red || {{colorsample|#A72920|description=sample of RAL 3000}} [[RAL 3000]] Flame red || {{colorsample|#A53A2E|description=sample of RAL 3033}} RAL 3033 Pearl pink || 25
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 4xxx
| Violet || {{colorsample|#816183|description=sample of RAL 4001}} [[RAL 4001]] Red lilac || {{colorsample|#6A6B7F|description=sample of RAL 4012}} RAL 4012 Pearl blackberry || 12
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 5xxx
| Blue || {{colorsample|#304F6E|description=sample of RAL 5000}} [[RAL 5000]] Violet blue || {{colorsample|#0F3052|description=sample of RAL 5026}} RAL 5026 Pearl night blue || 25
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 6xxx
| Green || {{colorsample|#3C7460|description=sample of RAL 6000}} [[RAL 6000]] Patina green || {{colorsample|#B3C43E|description=sample of RAL 6039}} RAL 6039 Fibrous green || 37
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 7xxx
| Grey || {{colorsample|#7A888E|description=sample of RAL 7000}} [[RAL 7000]] Squirrel grey || {{colorsample|#817B73|description=sample of RAL 7048}} RAL 7048 Pearl mouse grey || 38
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 8xxx
| Brown || {{colorsample|#89693F|description=sample of RAL 8000}} [[RAL 8000]] Green brown || {{colorsample|#7F4031|description=sample of RAL 8029}} RAL 8029 Pearl copper || 20
|-
!scope="row"| RAL 9xxx
| White/Black || {{colorsample|#E9E0D2|description=sample of RAL 9001}} [[RAL 9001]] Cream || {{colorsample|#787B7A|description=sample of RAL 9023}} RAL 9023 Pearl dark grey|| 15
|}

===RAL F9===
This collection, which follows the naming of RAL Classic, was invented in 1984.{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}} It is now made up of ten colours ({{colorsample|#B9A487|description=sample of RAL 1039F9}} RAL 1039-F9 Sand beige, {{colorsample|#A38E6A|description=sample of RAL 1040F9}} RAL 1040-F9 Clay beige, {{colorsample|#4F5240|description=sample of RAL 6031F9}} RAL 6031-F9 Bronze green, {{colorsample|#6B624C|description=sample of RAL 6040F9}} RAL 6040-F9 Light olive, {{colorsample|#716A61|description=sample of RAL 7050F9}} RAL 7050-F9 Camouflage grey, {{colorsample|#584A40|description=sample of RAL 8027F9}} RAL 8027-F9 Leather brown, {{colorsample|#99826B|description=sample of RAL 8031F9}} RAL 8031-F9 Sand brown, {{colorsample|#3E3F3C|description=sample of RAL 9021F9}} RAL 9021-F9 Tar black and {{colorsample|#4F5244|description=sample of RAL 6031F9HR}} RAL 6031-F9 HR Bronze green semi-matt) used by the ''{{Lang|de|[[Bundeswehr]]|italic=no}}'' for [[military camouflage]] coating.<ref>{{cite web|title=RAL F9|url=http://www.ral-farben.de/en/PRODUCTS-SHOP/RAL-CLASSIC/RAL-F9.html|access-date=15 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Does RAL CLASSIC include the camouflage colours of Germany's Armed Forces? |url=http://www.ral-farben.de/content/application-help/faqs/faqs-questions-about-ral-classic.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028055212/http://www.ral-farben.de/content/application-help/faqs/faqs-questions-about-ral-classic.html |archive-date=28 Oct 2016 |access-date=6 December 2016}}</ref>

===RAL Design===
In 1993 a new colour matching system was introduced, tailored to the needs of [[architect]]s, [[designer]]s and [[advertising|advertisers]]. It started with 1,688 colours and was revised to 1,625 colours and again to 1,825 colours. The colours of RAL Classic and RAL Design do not intersect.

Contrary to the preceding systems, RAL Design features no names and its numbering follows a scheme based on the [[CIELAB color space|CIELAB colour space]], specifically [[CIELAB color space#CIEHLC cylindrical model|cylindrical CIEHLC]]. Each colour is represented by seven digits, grouped in a triple and two pairs, representing [[hue]] (000–360 degrees, angle in the CIELab colour wheel), [[lightness]] (same as in ''L''*''a''*''b''*) and [[Colourfulness|chroma]] (relative saturation). The three numeric components of almost all RAL Design colours are multiples of 5, the majority are divisible by 10.<ref name="Design">{{cite web |title=Overview of all RAL Design colours |url=http://www.ral-farben.de/content/application-help/all-ral-colours-names/overview-ral-design-colours.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130075701/http://www.ral-farben.de/content/application-help/all-ral-colours-names/overview-ral-design-colours.html |archive-date=Nov 30, 2020}}</ref>

; Conversion from RAL Design number tuple to CIELAB
: <math>\begin{align}\text{RAL}_\text{Design} &= \left(h_{ab}^{\circ}, L^{*}, C_{ab}^{*}\right)\\
a^{*} &= C_{ab}^{*}\cdot\cos\left(h_{ab}^{\circ}\right)\\
 b^{*} &= C_{ab}^{*}\cdot\sin\left(h_{ab}^{\circ}\right)\end{align}</math>

: {{colorsample|#628488|description=sample of RAL 210 50 15}} RAL 210 50 15 converts to ''L''* = 50, ''a''* = −12.99, ''b''* = −7.5, for instance.

===RAL Effect===
RAL Effect comprises 420 solid colours and seventy metallic colours. It is the first collection from RAL to be based on waterborne paint systems.

===RAL Digital===
RAL Digital is software that allows designers to navigate the RAL colour space.{{Explain|date=June 2024}}

==See also==
* [[Colour chart]], other colour systems and charts
* [[Federal Standard 595]]
* [[Natural Colour System]]
* [[Pantone]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.ral-farben.de/en/ Official website]
{{Commons category|position=left|RAL-Color}}


{{Colour space}}
{{Colour topics}}

[[Category:RAL color standard| ]]
[[Category:Color space]]
[[Category:Standards of Germany]]
[[Category:1927 in the arts]]
[[Category:1927 introductions]]
[[Category:Color organizations]]
[[Category:Color schemes]]
[[Category:Construction standards]]
[[Category:German inventions]]