What is the RAL DESIGN SYSTEM plus?

The RAL DESIGN SYSTEM plus is a colour system containing a total of 1,825 colour tones and is based on the internationally known CIELab system.

The colours are organised into 39 hues and a grey axis and are finely graded in terms of lightness and chromaticity. Each shade is clearly identified by a 7-digit RAL code and a unique associative colour name. The colour code indicates the position of the colour in the colour system: the first three digits indicate the colour series. The spectrum ranges from 000 for shades on the grey axis to 360 for berry and pink shades. The fourth and fifth digits indicate the lightness of the colour, with low values reflecting particularly dark tones and high values reflecting particularly light tones. The last two numbers represent chroma, with low values representing less saturated tones and high values representing more saturated tones. For example, RAL 260 30 35 Royal Blue is a relatively dark and strong shade of blue. The clear labelling facilitates communication about the colour and at the same time the colour names stimulate the creative design process.

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