What is a RAL colour, and how do you choose one?

On our product pages, 'any RAL colour' follows the five colours in our library. It's the least explained phrase on the page, and one of the most useful, because it opens the finish on your piece to a whole standard range of colours, each with its own reference number.

A RAL colour is a colour from a standard colour system, in which each colour has its own reference number.

How the system works

RAL is a colour standard used widely for paint and powder coating. Each colour in the system has a fixed reference, so a RAL number refers to the same defined colour wherever it's used. That's what makes it useful: instead of describing a colour in words, which everyone interprets differently, you give a number.

The most familiar part of the system is the classic range, where each colour has a four-digit number. The first digit groups colours into families, such as yellows, reds, blues, greens, greys, and whites and blacks, and the remaining digits identify the individual colour. RAL 9005, for example, is a black, and RAL 9010 is a white.

Each colour also has a name, but the number is what matters when you order. Names can be translated or misremembered, so we work from the number.

Why finishes use it

Powder coat is ordered by colour reference, so a standard system makes it possible to specify a finish exactly. When you choose a RAL colour for one of our pieces, the reference tells us precisely which colour to apply. It also means you can match the piece to something else specified in the same system, such as a door, a radiator or another piece of furniture.

Our five colours, or any RAL colour

Our library has five colours: Obsidian (black), Oxblood (red), Gilt (gold), Chalk (white) and Forge Clear, a clear coat that keeps the look of the steel itself. Every finish we offer is coated. Start with the five. Our guide to choosing between them covers how each sits in a room.

A RAL colour makes sense when you want something specific: a colour that matches your walls, a shade from a scheme your designer has drawn up, or a colour that isn't in the library.

How to choose a RAL colour

Start from something real

The best starting point is a colour you can already see in your room: a paint, a fabric, a tile. If it already has a RAL reference, you're most of the way there. If it doesn't, ask a decorator or paint supplier for the nearest RAL match.

See a physical sample

Colour on a screen is never quite the same as colour in a room. Screens vary, and every image is lit in its own way. Before you decide, look at a physical sample of the RAL colour, in the room where the piece will go. Printed colour charts and fans are widely available from paint and coatings suppliers.

Look at it in the right light

Look at your sample in daylight and in lamplight, at the times of day you'll use the room most. A colour that looks right at noon can look quite different in the evening.

Think about the whole room

A RAL colour gives you precision, and precision works best with a plan. Decide whether the piece should match the wall and recede, or contrast with it and stand out, and choose accordingly.

Matching a paint colour

Paint colours from a decorating range don't always have a RAL equivalent, and two colours that look alike on a chart can look different on steel and on a plaster wall. If you're matching a paint, compare a RAL sample with a painted patch of the wall, side by side, in the room's own light. Choose the RAL colour that looks right beside the wall, even if it isn't the closest on paper.

Choosing for each kind of piece

On a bed, a RAL colour can match the walls so the frame settles into the bedroom, or pick up a colour from the bedding or curtains. On a cross, it can make the frame a deliberate feature against a contrasting wall. On a cage, a colour close to the wall lets it recede between scenes. Our guide to choosing a colour covers each in more detail.

Ordering a RAL colour

When you've chosen, send us the RAL reference and we'll confirm it before you order. If you have questions about how a particular colour will look on a steel frame, ask us. Your lead time is confirmed with your order; the current range is 8–14 weeks.

RAL colours and bespoke work

Any RAL colour is available for bespoke commissions too, so a bespoke piece can be matched to a room as precisely as a collection piece. If you're commissioning a set of pieces for a whole room, a single RAL reference ties them together. Our guide to how a bespoke commission works covers the process.

Questions about RAL colours

Can I choose any RAL colour at all?

Any RAL colour is available on request. Send us the reference and we'll confirm it before you order.

Do RAL colours come in different sheens?

Ask us about the finish for the colour you have in mind before you order.

Can I change to a RAL colour after ordering?

Contact us as early as you can. The finish is applied to your piece after you order, so the sooner you ask, the more we can do.

Looking after a RAL finish

A RAL finish is powder coat, like Obsidian, Oxblood, Gilt and Chalk, and it's looked after the same way as every finish we offer: warm water and mild soap, then a soft dry cloth, with no abrasives or harsh chemicals. Our care guide covers the routine.

See our BDSM beds, St Andrew's crosses and BDSM cages, each available in our five colours or any RAL colour.