Essex Blue vs RAL 180-2
Essex Blue (Behr) and RAL 180-2 (RAL Effect) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 56 vs 58 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. ΔE 3.1 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Essex Blue vs RAL 180-2 in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Essex Blue and RAL 180-2 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Color Details
Essex Blue vs RAL 180-2 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Essex Blue on one side and RAL 180-2 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 Essex Blue comparisons
See how Essex Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 56, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 6, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 52), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
A 4-point LRV gap (56 vs 52) makes Essex Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Agreeable Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 60 vs 56), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 56), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 27, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 56 vs 55), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 56 vs 13, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 44, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 56), opening up a space where Essex Blue encloses it.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (66 vs 56) makes Balboa Mist the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 56, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 56, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reads slightly lighter (LRV 56 vs 51), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 56 vs 8, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 56, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 56 vs 12, Essex Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (56 vs 45) makes Essex Blue the marginally brighter of the two.
Essex Blue reflects far more light (LRV 56 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.