RAL to Pantone® Converter
Enter a RAL Classic code to see the five Pantone® Coated colors closest to it on screen, ranked by CIEDE2000 ΔE. Neither RAL nor Pantone publishes a cross-reference we could use, so this compares approximate screen values from open lists — a shortlist, not an official match.
Approximate, not official. RAL colors are physical samples, and RAL gGmbH does not publish screen values we could use, so these come from open lists that do not always agree. Check an original RAL color fan before ordering paint or powder coating.
RAL to Pantone® examples
| RAL | Closest Pantone® | ΔE |
|---|---|---|
| RAL 5010 Gentian blue | 541 C | 2.8 |
| RAL 3005 Wine red | 490 C | 3.1 |
| RAL 6003 Olive green | 7763 C | 4.9 |
| RAL 1028 Melon yellow | 130 C | 0.5 |
| RAL 7016 Anthracite grey | 432 C | 2.8 |
| RAL 8011 Nut brown | 7596 C | 2.5 |
| RAL 5015 Sky blue | 3005 C | 2.4 |
| RAL 9005 Jet black | Black 6 C | 5.9 |
Where the numbers come from
Each RAL value comes from one of three open lists and is compared with the other two (they are not fully independent: ral-colors takes its HEX values from Wikipedia's list). A code marked «Open lists agree» is within ΔE 3 in at least one of them (102 of 127); for the others the screen color is less certain, and the code page shows how far apart the lists are. Matches are found by converting colors to CIELAB and comparing them with CIEDE2000. CMYK is a plain conversion of the screen color, not a print separation.
RAL to Pantone®: questions
- Is there an official RAL to Pantone® conversion?
- Neither RAL gGmbH nor Pantone publishes one we can use. This page compares approximate screen values of both systems with CIEDE2000, so the result is a shortlist to check against physical samples.
- Are these official RAL colors?
- No. RAL colors are defined by physical samples, and RAL gGmbH does not publish screen values we can use. Each value here comes from one of three open lists (the code page names which) and is compared with the other two: for 102 of 127 codes at least one other list is within ΔE 3. Between the two largest lists, ral-colors and ralative, the median difference is ΔE 4.6. The lists are not fully independent, and lists agreeing does not mean the color is right. Check an original RAL color fan before ordering.
- Why do websites show different HEX codes for the same RAL color?
- There is no official screen value, so every HEX code for a RAL color is someone’s estimate, and lists copy from different places; some even contain copy errors (one open list repeats the HEX of one code for several others). That is why every code page here shows what three open lists say and how far apart they are.
RAL color values from ral-colors by Ibon Eskudero, Copyright (c) 2022 Ibon Eskudero, MIT License, ralative by Asaf Prihadash, Copyright 2021 Asaf Prihadash, MIT License, and the RAL list in Bit&Black colorpalette by Tobias Köngeter, MIT License; each code page names its list. Codes whose open values we could not confirm are left out.
RAL is a trademark of RAL gGmbH. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by RAL. RAL colors are defined by physical color samples; all values here are approximate screen colors, so check an original RAL color fan before ordering paint or coating. Pantone® is a trademark of Pantone LLC; this site is not affiliated with Pantone.