Armory vs RAL 850-5
Armory is a PPG color while RAL 850-5 comes from RAL Effect. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. With LRVs of 14 and 14, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 2.5, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Armory vs RAL 850-5 in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Armory and RAL 850-5 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.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Armory vs RAL 850-5 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Armory on one side and RAL 850-5 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 Armory comparisons
See how Armory stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 14, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 14, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 60 vs 14, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
Denim Drift reflects far more light (LRV 27 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
At LRV 43 vs 14, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 14, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
With LRVs of 14 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Armory reads slightly lighter (LRV 14 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
With LRVs of 14 and 12, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 14), opening up a space where Armory encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 14, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.