RAL 860-6 vs Forged Steel
RAL 860-6 (RAL Effect) and Forged Steel (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the grey family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 11 vs 10 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 2.5 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 860-6 vs Forged Steel in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. RAL 860-6 and Forged Steel 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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet color is always seen in context — against countertops, backsplash, and hardware — which amplifies undertone differences that might disappear on a plain wall. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Color Details
RAL 860-6 vs Forged Steel Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 860-6 on one side and Forged Steel 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 860-6 comparisons
See how RAL 860-6 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 11, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 11, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 11, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 11, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 11, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 11, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 11, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 11), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 11, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 11), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 11, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.
RAL 860-6 reads slightly lighter (LRV 11 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reflects far more light (LRV 24 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 11), opening up a space where RAL 860-6 encloses it.