French Canvas vs RAL 840-1
French Canvas (Benjamin Moore) and RAL 840-1 (RAL Effect) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the beige-greige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 3-point LRV gap — 77 for RAL 840-1 vs 74 for French Canvas — means RAL 840-1 will open up a space more effectively. A ΔE of 2.2 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
French Canvas vs RAL 840-1 in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. French Canvas and RAL 840-1 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
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. 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
French Canvas vs RAL 840-1 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see French Canvas on one side and RAL 840-1 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 French Canvas comparisons
See how French Canvas stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
A 5-point LRV gap (74 vs 69) makes French Canvas the marginally brighter of the two.
White Dove reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 74 vs 52, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 30, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
At LRV 74 vs 60, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 58), opening up a space where Accessible Beige encloses it.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 74 vs 43, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 4, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 55), opening up a space where Tranquil Dawn encloses it.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
A 10-point LRV gap (84 vs 74) makes Pure White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 74 vs 21, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
French Canvas reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 66), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
With LRVs of 74 and 74, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Snowbound reads slightly lighter (LRV 83 vs 74), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 74 vs 51, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
French Canvas reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 68), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 74 vs 41, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
French Canvas reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 74 vs 31, French Canvas is decisively the brighter choice.