True Grey vs RAL 820-2
True Grey (Cloverdale Paint) and RAL 820-2 (RAL Effect) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue-grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 41 vs 42 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 2.4 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.
True Grey vs RAL 820-2 in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. True Grey and RAL 820-2 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.
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.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
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. 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
True Grey vs RAL 820-2 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see True Grey on one side and RAL 820-2 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 True Grey comparisons
See how True Grey stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 41), opening up a space where True Grey encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (52 vs 41) makes Purbeck Stone the marginally brighter of the two.
A 10-point LRV gap (41 vs 30) makes True Grey the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 60 vs 41, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 41), opening up a space where True Grey encloses it.
True Grey reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 43 vs 41), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 41), opening up a space where True Grey encloses it.
With LRVs of 44 and 41, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 84 vs 41, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 41), opening up a space where True Grey encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 41), opening up a space where True Grey encloses it.
True Grey reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
True Grey reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 41), opening up a space where True Grey encloses it.
True Grey reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Saybrook Sage reads slightly lighter (LRV 45 vs 41), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 10-point LRV gap (41 vs 31) makes True Grey the marginally brighter of the two.