RAL
A European standard list of numbered colours for paint, coatings and plastics.
Also: RAL Classic, RAL colours
RAL began in Germany in 1927 as a list of forty standard colours, so that manufacturers and customers could agree on a paint colour without exchanging samples. The classic collection has since grown to over two hundred, each with a four-digit number and a name: RAL 3020 is traffic red, RAL 9010 pure white. The first digit gives the colour group. RAL numbers are used across Europe and beyond for road signs, machinery, window frames, radiators and powder coating. A larger, more systematic range was added later for designers.