RAL 870-3 vs Snowbound
Where RAL 870-3 belongs to RAL Effect's range, Snowbound is a Sherwin-Williams color. RAL 870-3 reads as grey, while Snowbound reads as beige-greige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Snowbound (LRV 83) reflects noticeably more light than RAL 870-3 (LRV 12), a difference of 70 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 51.6, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 870-3 vs Snowbound in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing RAL 870-3 and Snowbound in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Snowbound will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than RAL 870-3 would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than RAL 870-3.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than RAL 870-3.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than RAL 870-3.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Snowbound reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than RAL 870-3.
Color Details
RAL 870-3 vs Snowbound Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 870-3 on one side and Snowbound 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 870-3 comparisons
See how RAL 870-3 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 12, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 12, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 12, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 12, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 12, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 4-point LRV gap (12 vs 8) makes RAL 870-3 the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 12, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
RAL 870-3 reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.