RAL 860-5 vs Special Gray
RAL 860-5 is a RAL Effect color while Special Gray comes from Sherwin-Williams. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. With LRVs of 20 and 19, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. At ΔE 3.7, the difference is perceptible but not dramatic — the two can work harmoniously in the same space. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 860-5 vs Special Gray in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. RAL 860-5 and Special Gray 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. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
RAL 860-5 vs Special Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 860-5 on one side and Special Gray 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 RAL 860-5 comparisons
See how RAL 860-5 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 20, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (30 vs 20) makes Evergreen Fog the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 20, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 20), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 20, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 20, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
RAL 860-5 reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
RAL 860-5 reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
RAL 860-5 reads slightly lighter (LRV 20 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 860-5 encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (31 vs 20) makes Pale Green the marginally brighter of the two.