RAL 180-2 vs Honest Blue
RAL 180-2 (RAL Effect) and Honest Blue (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. The 3-point LRV gap — 58 for RAL 180-2 vs 55 for Honest Blue — means RAL 180-2 will open up a space more effectively. ΔE 3.2 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 180-2 vs Honest Blue in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. RAL 180-2 and Honest Blue 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. RAL 180-2 reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. RAL 180-2 has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. RAL 180-2 has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
RAL 180-2 vs Honest Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 180-2 on one side and Honest Blue 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 RAL 180-2 comparisons
See how RAL 180-2 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 58), opening up a space where RAL 180-2 encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (58 vs 52) makes RAL 180-2 the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 58 vs 30, RAL 180-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 58 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
RAL 180-2 reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 43, RAL 180-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
RAL 180-2 reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
RAL 180-2 reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 58, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 58), opening up a space where RAL 180-2 encloses it.
RAL 180-2 reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
RAL 180-2 reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
RAL 180-2 reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 31, RAL 180-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 7, RAL 180-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 24, RAL 180-2 is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 57), so neither reads brighter in a room.