Matt Silver vs RAL 820-4
Matt Silver (Jotun) and RAL 820-4 (RAL Effect) come from different manufacturers. Hue-wise, Matt Silver belongs to the grey family and RAL 820-4 to the blue-grey family. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 24 vs 23 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 1.5 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Matt Silver vs RAL 820-4 in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Matt Silver 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
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.
Color Details
Matt Silver vs RAL 820-4 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Matt Silver 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 Matt Silver comparisons
See how Matt Silver stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 24), opening up a space where Matt Silver encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 24, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 24 vs 6, Matt Silver is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 24), opening up a space where Matt Silver encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 24), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 24, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 24), opening up a space where Matt Silver encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 24, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 27 vs 24), so neither reads brighter in a room.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 24), opening up a space where Matt Silver encloses it.
Matt Silver reflects far more light (LRV 24 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 24, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (24 vs 13) makes Matt Silver the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 44 vs 24, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 24), opening up a space where Matt Silver encloses it.
With LRVs of 24 and 21, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 66 vs 24, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 24, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 24, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 24), opening up a space where Matt Silver encloses it.
At LRV 24 vs 12, Matt Silver is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 24 vs 8, Matt Silver is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 24, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 24), opening up a space where Matt Silver encloses it.
At LRV 24 vs 12, Matt Silver is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 45 vs 24, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 24), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.