Cotton vs RAL 120-3
Cotton (Cloverdale Paint) and RAL 120-3 (RAL Effect) come from different manufacturers. These are both beige-greiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige-greige to land. The 4-point LRV gap — 85 for RAL 120-3 vs 81 for Cotton — means RAL 120-3 will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 2.1 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cotton vs RAL 120-3 in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Cotton and RAL 120-3 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. RAL 120-3 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. RAL 120-3 has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. RAL 120-3 has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. RAL 120-3 has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Cotton vs RAL 120-3 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cotton on one side and RAL 120-3 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 Cotton comparisons
See how Cotton stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 83 vs 81), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 58, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 27, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
At LRV 81 vs 55, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 44, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reads slightly lighter (LRV 84 vs 81), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 81 vs 66, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (81 vs 74) makes Cotton the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 81 vs 12, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 8, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 68, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 12, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 81 vs 45, Cotton is decisively the brighter choice.
Cotton reflects far more light (LRV 81 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.