RAL 860-3 vs Artichoke
Where RAL 860-3 belongs to RAL Effect's range, Artichoke is a Sherwin-Williams color. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. RAL 860-3 (LRV 54) reflects noticeably more light than Artichoke (LRV 21), a difference of 32 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 30.3, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 860-3 vs Artichoke in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing RAL 860-3 and Artichoke in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that RAL 860-3 will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Artichoke would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. RAL 860-3 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. RAL 860-3 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. RAL 860-3 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. RAL 860-3 reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Artichoke.
Color Details
RAL 860-3 vs Artichoke Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 860-3 on one side and Artichoke 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 860-3 comparisons
See how RAL 860-3 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 54), opening up a space where RAL 860-3 encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 54 vs 52), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 54 vs 30, RAL 860-3 is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (60 vs 54) makes Agreeable Gray the marginally brighter of the two.
Accessible Beige reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 54), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
RAL 860-3 reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (54 vs 43) makes RAL 860-3 the marginally brighter of the two.
With LRVs of 55 and 54, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
RAL 860-3 reads slightly lighter (LRV 54 vs 44), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 84 vs 54, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 54), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 54), opening up a space where RAL 860-3 encloses it.
RAL 860-3 reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
RAL 860-3 reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 8), opening up a space where Duck Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 54), opening up a space where RAL 860-3 encloses it.
RAL 860-3 reflects far more light (LRV 54 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
RAL 860-3 reads slightly lighter (LRV 54 vs 45), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 54 vs 31, RAL 860-3 is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 54 vs 7, RAL 860-3 is decisively the brighter choice.