RAL 870-5 vs Licorice
RAL 870-5 (RAL Effect) and Licorice (Tikkurila) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 7 vs 7 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 2.3 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 870-5 vs Licorice in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. RAL 870-5 and Licorice 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.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
RAL 870-5 vs Licorice Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 870-5 on one side and Licorice 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 870-5 comparisons
See how RAL 870-5 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 7, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 7), opening up a space where RAL 870-5 encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 7), opening up a space where RAL 870-5 encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 7), opening up a space where RAL 870-5 encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 7, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 7, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 7), opening up a space where RAL 870-5 encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 7, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 7, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 7), opening up a space where RAL 870-5 encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 7, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 7, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (12 vs 7) makes Pewter Green the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 8 vs 7), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 7, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (12 vs 7) makes Vintage Vogue the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 7, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 7), opening up a space where RAL 870-5 encloses it.