Elemental Gray vs RAL 860-M
Elemental Gray is a Behr color while RAL 860-M comes from RAL Effect. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. With LRVs of 35 and 36, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 1.6, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Elemental Gray vs RAL 860-M in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Elemental Gray and RAL 860-M are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen Cabinets
On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Elemental Gray vs RAL 860-M Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Elemental Gray on one side and RAL 860-M on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Elemental Gray comparisons
See how Elemental Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 35), opening up a space where Elemental Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 35, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 35 vs 6, Elemental Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 35), opening up a space where Elemental Gray encloses it.
Elemental Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 35 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 35, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 35), opening up a space where Elemental Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 35, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (35 vs 27) makes Elemental Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 35), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Elemental Gray reflects far more light (LRV 35 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 35, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 35 vs 13, Elemental Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (44 vs 35) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 35), opening up a space where Elemental Gray encloses it.
Elemental Gray reflects far more light (LRV 35 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 35, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 35, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 35, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 35), opening up a space where Elemental Gray encloses it.
At LRV 35 vs 12, Elemental Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 35 vs 8, Elemental Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 35, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 41 vs 35), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 35 vs 12, Elemental Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (45 vs 35) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Elemental Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 35 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.