RAL Classic
RAL 5011 Steel Blue
#231A24
RAL 5011 Steel Blue is #231A24 in HEX, rgb(35, 26, 36), cmyk(3%, 28%, 0%, 86%).
RAL 5011, Steel Blue, is a warm color from the RAL Classic — the European standard used to specify exact colors for paints and coatings. Its hex value is #231A24, or rgb(35, 26, 36). It's commonly specified for machinery, signage, marine and industrial equipment. Below are its exact color codes (HEX, RGB, CMYK, HSL), the nearest real interior paints across 16 brands so you can match it on a wall, and similar RAL shades.
RAL 5011 Color Codes
Paint Matches — RAL 5011 across 16 brands
Light Reflectance & Undertone
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
1/100
Very Dark
Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.
Undertone
Reads as a neutral pink with a red undertone showing through, especially in daylight. Pair trim and adjacent colours to either calm or amplify that undertone.
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Monochromatic
Shades & Tints
Shades and tints of Steel Blue run from a pale tint down to a deep shade — same hue and saturation, lightness stepped. Each rung below shows its exact HEX code; tap any to copy it.
Variations
Lighter
Darker
Saturation
Interior Use
Best Rooms
dressing rooms, creative studios, accent walls
Best Uses
feature walls, cabinetry, textiles
Pairs With
warm whites, walnut, brass, deep velvet textiles
Accessibility (WCAG)
Deuteranopia
Protanopia
Tritanopia
Color Psychology
Sophisticated · Imaginative
Steel Blue carries history — long associated with luxury and contemplation. It works in low-light, intimate rooms (dressing rooms, dens, accent walls) where its complexity gets time to unfold. Pair with brass and walnut.
How it looks under different light
Pairs With
Paint Info
Brand · Product Line
Benjamin Moore / Aura Interior (for richer color depth in deep tones)
Recommended Finishes
Matte (walls) · Pearl (trim) · Satin (doors)
Deep colors look best in matte — gloss exaggerates surface flaws. Reserve subtle sheen for trim, doors, and high-touch areas.
Best Surfaces
Accent walls · Doors · Cabinetry · Built-ins
Coverage & Dry Time
Typical coverage 350-400 sq ft per gallon over a primed surface.
Touch-dry in ~1 hour. Recoat after 4 hours. Full cure 7-14 days.
Primer
Tinted primer in a similar value is highly recommended — saves a coat and prevents the wall colour from washing the surface.
Application Tip
Use a 9" microfiber roller on walls and a 2.5" angled sash brush for trim cuts. Two coats minimum for even depth.
Paint Calculator
You'll need
4.0 litres
1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.
Code Snippets
color: #231A24;background-color: #231A24;--color-steel-blue: #231A24;colors: { 'steel-blue': '#231A24' }bg-[#231A24] text-[#231A24]$steel-blue: #231A24;Similar RAL Colors
About RAL 5011
What is a RAL color?
RAL is the European color-matching standard used to specify exact colors for paints and coatings. Each code — like RAL 5011 from the RAL Classic — maps to one defined color, so a manufacturer or painter anywhere produces the identical result. It's used first and foremost on window frames, doors, façades, gates, railings and powder-coated metalwork.
Matching RAL 5011 on interior walls
RAL is defined for industrial coatings, not interior wall paint — so to paint a room in this color you match it to a real interior brand. The Paint Matches above show the nearest Steel Blue equivalent across 16 brands (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux and more), each with its code, so you can take RAL 5011 straight to a can.
More
Our color tools run on our own catalogue of 26,000+ real paint colors across 16 brands — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux, RAL and more — with the color math (HSL and CIELAB matching) computed in-house, not scraped from summaries. Every color you pick maps to a real, buyable paint with its code, so what you see here you can actually take to the store. We review and update these tools and their data regularly.
Created by Denis Kataev, founder of DSGN.HOUSE — a software engineer and digital entrepreneur building professional color-design tools for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is RAL 5011?
RAL 5011 is Steel Blue. On screen it is approximately #231A24 (rgb 35, 26, 36).
What is RAL 5011 in RGB?
RAL 5011 is approximately rgb(35, 26, 36). Its HSL and CMYK values are in the color codes above.
What paint matches RAL 5011?
See “Paint Matches” above — it shows the nearest real paint in 16 brands (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux and more) so you can paint a wall to match this RAL color.
What is the HEX code for RAL 5011?
RAL 5011 (Steel Blue) is approximately #231A24 in HEX — the standard sRGB equivalent for screen.
What is RAL 5011 in CMYK?
RAL 5011 converts to roughly cmyk(3%, 28%, 0%, 86%). For exact ink, confirm against a physical RAL fan deck.
Are RAL hex values exact?
They're the standard sRGB equivalent for screen. RAL is defined for physical coatings, so always confirm critical color against a physical RAL fan deck.