RAL 290-M vs Cut The Mustard
RAL 290-M is a RAL Effect color while Cut The Mustard comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both beiges, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within beige to land. With LRVs of 24 and 26, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 2.3, 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.
RAL 290-M vs Cut The Mustard in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. RAL 290-M and Cut The Mustard 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
RAL 290-M vs Cut The Mustard Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 290-M on one side and Cut The Mustard 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 290-M comparisons
See how RAL 290-M stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 24, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 24), opening up a space where RAL 290-M encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 24), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 24), opening up a space where RAL 290-M 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 RAL 290-M encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 24, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
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 RAL 290-M encloses it.
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 24 vs 12, RAL 290-M is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 24, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 24 vs 12, RAL 290-M 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.
RAL 290-M reflects far more light (LRV 24 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
With LRVs of 24 and 24, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 24), opening up a space where RAL 290-M encloses it.