RAL 490-3 vs Coral Bead
RAL 490-3 is a RAL Effect color while Coral Bead comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both pink-reds, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within pink-red to land. With LRVs of 44 and 44, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 3.0, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 490-3 vs Coral Bead in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. RAL 490-3 and Coral Bead 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.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
RAL 490-3 vs Coral Bead Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 490-3 on one side and Coral Bead 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 490-3 comparisons
See how RAL 490-3 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 44, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
RAL 490-3 reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 490-3 encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 44, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 27, RAL 490-3 is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 44 and 43, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
A 11-point LRV gap (55 vs 44) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 44 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 490-3 encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 44, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 44, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 12, RAL 490-3 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 44, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 12, RAL 490-3 is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 45 vs 44), so neither reads brighter in a room.
RAL 490-3 reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
RAL 490-3 reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
RAL 490-3 reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 44), opening up a space where RAL 490-3 encloses it.