Steep Cliff Gray vs RAL 820-4
Where Steep Cliff Gray belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, RAL 820-4 is a RAL Effect color. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (21 vs 23), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. The ΔE 5.0 gap is real but not dramatic — close enough to use together, distinct enough to matter as a choice. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steep Cliff Gray vs RAL 820-4 in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Steep Cliff Gray and RAL 820-4 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
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Color Details
Steep Cliff Gray vs RAL 820-4 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steep Cliff Gray on one side and RAL 820-4 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 Steep Cliff Gray comparisons
See how Steep Cliff Gray stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 21, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 21 vs 6, Steep Cliff Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 21, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 21, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (27 vs 21) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
Steep Cliff Gray reflects far more light (LRV 21 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 21, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (21 vs 13) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 21, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
With LRVs of 21 and 21, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 21, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 21, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 21, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 21 vs 8, Steep Cliff Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 21, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 21), opening up a space where Steep Cliff Gray encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (21 vs 12) makes Steep Cliff Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 21, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 21), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.