RAL 870-3 vs Cloak Gray
Where RAL 870-3 belongs to RAL Effect's range, Cloak Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (12 vs 11), so they'll read as similarly Dark in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 1.7, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
RAL 870-3 vs Cloak Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. RAL 870-3 and Cloak Gray 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
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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
RAL 870-3 vs Cloak Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see RAL 870-3 on one side and Cloak Gray 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 870-3 comparisons
See how RAL 870-3 stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 12, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 12, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 12, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
At LRV 55 vs 12, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 12, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 12, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 12, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 68 vs 12, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 12 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 12, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.
RAL 870-3 reads slightly lighter (LRV 12 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cement grey reads slightly lighter (LRV 24 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Guilford Green reflects far more light (LRV 57 vs 12), opening up a space where RAL 870-3 encloses it.