RAL 770-4 vs Downing Earth
RAL 770-4 is a RAL Effect color while Downing Earth comes from Sherwin-Williams. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. With LRVs of 20 and 20, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. With a ΔE of 2.8, 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 770-4 vs Downing Earth in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. RAL 770-4 and Downing Earth 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.
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 770-4 vs Downing Earth Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 770-4 on one side and Downing Earth 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 770-4 comparisons
See how RAL 770-4 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 20, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 770-4 encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reads slightly lighter (LRV 30 vs 20), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 770-4 encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 20, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (27 vs 20) makes Denim Drift the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 770-4 encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 20, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 20, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 20), opening up a space where RAL 770-4 encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 20, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 20, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (20 vs 12) makes RAL 770-4 the marginally brighter of the two.
A 11-point LRV gap (20 vs 8) makes RAL 770-4 the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 20, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (20 vs 12) makes RAL 770-4 the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 45 vs 20, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reads slightly lighter (LRV 31 vs 20), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.