Midnight Oil vs RAL 870-5 paint color comparison

Midnight Oil vs RAL 870-5

Midnight OilBenjamin MoorevsRAL 870-5RAL EffectΔE 1.9Subtle difference

Midnight Oil is a Benjamin Moore color while RAL 870-5 comes from RAL Effect. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. With LRVs of 8 and 7, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 1.9, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.

Midnight Oil vs RAL 870-5 in Real Spaces

1 real room side by side. Midnight Oil and RAL 870-5 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 Cabinets

On cabinetry, undertone and temperature become more pronounced against countertops and hardware. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.

Midnight OilMidnight Oil kitchen cabinets paint

@stephanie.sarah.home

RAL 870-5RAL Effect 870-5 small kitchen cabinets

@visualization

Color Details

Midnight Oil
Benjamin Moore · 1631
LRV7.7
BrandBenjamin Moore
Number1631
UndertoneBlue
TemperatureNeutral
BrightnessDark
RAL 870-5
RAL Effect · RAL 870-5
LRV6.9
BrandRAL Effect
NumberRAL 870-5
Undertone
Temperature
BrightnessDark

Midnight Oil vs RAL 870-5 Simulated Comparison

5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Midnight Oil on one side and RAL 870-5 on the other.

Bathroom
Bedroom
House
Kitchen Cabinets
Living Room

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 Midnight Oil comparisons

See how Midnight Oil stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.

Midnight Oil
Ammonite
Midnight Oil
Ammonite
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Farrow & Ball
Ammonite
LRV 69

Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
White Dove
Midnight Oil
White Dove
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 83 vs 8, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Iron Ore
Midnight Oil
Iron Ore
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 8 vs 6), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Midnight Oil
Purbeck Stone
Midnight Oil
Purbeck Stone
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
Evergreen Fog
Midnight Oil
Evergreen Fog
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
Mizzle
Midnight Oil
Mizzle
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Farrow & Ball
Mizzle
LRV 52

At LRV 52 vs 8, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Agreeable Gray
Midnight Oil
Agreeable Gray
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
Accessible Beige
Midnight Oil
Accessible Beige
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 58 vs 8, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Denim Drift
Midnight Oil
Denim Drift
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 27 vs 8, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
French Gray
Midnight Oil
French Gray
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
Naval
Midnight Oil
Naval
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Sherwin-Williams
Naval
LRV 4

Midnight Oil reads slightly lighter (LRV 8 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.

Midnight Oil
Tranquil Dawn
Midnight Oil
Tranquil Dawn
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 55 vs 8, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Bancha
Midnight Oil
Bancha
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Farrow & Ball
Bancha
LRV 13

A 6-point LRV gap (13 vs 8) makes Bancha the marginally brighter of the two.

Midnight Oil
Hardwick White
Midnight Oil
Hardwick White
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 44 vs 8, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Pure White
Midnight Oil
Pure White
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
Artichoke
Midnight Oil
Artichoke
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Sherwin-Williams
Artichoke
LRV 21

Artichoke reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Balboa Mist
Midnight Oil
Balboa Mist
Midnight Oil
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 66 vs 8, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Shoji White
Midnight Oil
Shoji White
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 74 vs 8, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Snowbound
Midnight Oil
Snowbound
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Sherwin-Williams
Snowbound
LRV 83

At LRV 83 vs 8, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Pigeon
Midnight Oil
Pigeon
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Farrow & Ball
Pigeon
LRV 51

Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
Pewter Green
Midnight Oil
Pewter Green
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

A 4-point LRV gap (12 vs 8) makes Pewter Green the marginally brighter of the two.

Midnight Oil
Duck Green
Midnight Oil
Duck Green
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 8 vs 8), so neither reads brighter in a room.

Midnight Oil
Skimming Stone
Midnight Oil
Skimming Stone
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 68 vs 8, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Dix Blue
Midnight Oil
Dix Blue
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
Farrow & Ball
Dix Blue
LRV 41

Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.

Midnight Oil
Hicks' Blue
Midnight Oil
Hicks' Blue

Midnight Oil vs Hicks' Blue

Midnight Oil
Slaked Lime Deep
Midnight Oil
Slaked Lime Deep

Midnight Oil vs Slaked Lime Deep

Midnight Oil
Vintage Vogue
Midnight Oil
Vintage Vogue
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

A 4-point LRV gap (12 vs 8) makes Vintage Vogue the marginally brighter of the two.

Midnight Oil
Livid
Midnight Oil
Livid
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

Midnight Oil vs Livid

Midnight Oil
Saybrook Sage
Midnight Oil
Saybrook Sage
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8

At LRV 45 vs 8, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.

Midnight Oil
Pale Green
Midnight Oil
Pale Green
Benjamin Moore
Midnight Oil
1631 · LRV 8
RAL ClassicClassic
Pale Green
LRV 31

Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 8), opening up a space where Midnight Oil encloses it.