Hicks' Blue vs RAL 520-M
Where Hicks' Blue belongs to Little Greene's range, RAL 520-M is a RAL Effect color. Hicks' Blue reads as blue, while RAL 520-M reads as pink — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. RAL 520-M has an LRV of 17. With a ΔE of 42.5, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Hicks' Blue vs RAL 520-M in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Seeing Hicks' Blue and RAL 520-M in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
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.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. 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
Hicks' Blue vs RAL 520-M Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hicks' Blue on one side and RAL 520-M 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 Hicks' Blue comparisons
See how Hicks' Blue stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
