RAL Effect

RAL Effect 790-3

#313538

RGB 49, 53, 56 · HSL 206°, 7%, 21% · CMYK 13, 5, 0, 78

RAL Effect 790-3 is #313538 in HEX, rgb(49, 53, 56), cmyk(13%, 5%, 0%, 78%).

RAL Effect 790-3, RAL Effect 790-3, is a cool color from the RAL Effect — the European standard used to specify exact colors for paints and coatings. Its hex value is #313538, or rgb(49, 53, 56). It's commonly specified for metallic and pearlescent finishes on vehicles, façades and design objects. 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.

HEX → RAL converter
HEX#313538
RGB49, 53, 56
HSL206°, 7%, 21%
HSV206°, 12%, 22%
CMYK13, 5, 0, 78
Decimal3224888
CSS RGBrgb(49, 53, 56)
CSS HSLhsl(206, 7%, 21%)

Sherwin-Williams

Black of NightSW6993

Near-exact · #323639

Benjamin Moore

Midnight2129-10

ΔE 1.1 · #333537

Colorhouse

Nourish .06Nourish-06

ΔE 1.4 · #313536

Dulux

PihaNZ10G1

ΔE 1.5 · #31363B

Behr

Spade BlackBNC-38

ΔE 1.9 · #2D3439

RAL

Granite Grey7026

ΔE 2.2 · #2F353B

Vista Paint

In the DarkK-776

ΔE 2.3 · #36373C

Hallman-Lindsay

Sayward Pinehistoric-sayward-pine

ΔE 2.8 · #383839

Kobra

Black44

ΔE 3.2 · #383737

Kilz

Mystic BlackTB-39

ΔE 3.5 · #383938

IKEA

IKEA186186

ΔE 3.8 · #302F2F

Dunn-Edwards

BlackDEA187

ΔE 4 · #3B3A3A

Farrow & Ball

Pitch Black256

ΔE 4.4 · #3B3938

Valspar

Dark Kettle Black4011-2

ΔE 5.4 · #3F4043

PPG

Black Magic1001-7

ΔE 6.1 · #414040

Dutch Boy

Dark ChocolateD-6782

ΔE 10.8 · #392A27

Light Reflectance Value (LRV)

3/100

Very Dark

0 · DarkLight · 100

Absorbs almost all light — dramatic and cocooning. Needs strong artificial lighting and works best as an accent or in well-lit rooms.

Undertone

TemperatureNeutral MasstoneBlue UndertoneViolet

A near-neutral with a subtle neutral violet undertone — it will pick up colour from surrounding surfaces and shift noticeably under different light.

Complementary

#313538
#393532

Analogous

#323939
#313538
#323239

Triadic

#313538
#393236
#363932

Monochromatic

#0C0D0E
#0E0F10
#313538
#555D62
#79838B

Shades and tints of RAL Effect 790-3 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.

Tint #EFF0F1
Tint #BDC2C5
Tint #8B949A
Tint #5D656B
Base #313538
Shade #2C3033
Shade #272A2D
Shade #222527
Shade #1C1F21

Lighter

#575F64
#7F878D
#B5B9BC

Darker

#282B2E
#1B1E20
#101113

Saturation

#343637
#323639
#193952

Best Rooms

living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens

Best Uses

main walls, trim, accents

Pairs With

soft whites, natural wood, brass, matte black trim

Aa

vs White

12.38:1

AAA

Aa

vs Black

1.70:1

Fail

Deuteranopia

#313538
#333438

Original → Simulated

Protanopia

#313538
#343438

Original → Simulated

Tritanopia

#313538
#313535

Original → Simulated

Quiet · Versatile

RAL Effect 790-3 gets out of the way so the architecture and the people in the room do the work. The right neutral is never a default — it reads warm or cool, dusty or sharp depending on its undertone, and that undertone is what makes or breaks the room.

SymbolismBalance, sophistication, calm
PersonalityAdaptable, considered, timeless
versatileneutraltimelessbackdroptrimwall
#645445

Warm Bulb 2700K

Incandescent / soft white LED — pulls colour toward yellow/amber.

#313538

Daylight 5500K

Midday natural light or daylight-spec LED — closest to the paint chip.

#515969

Cool Bulb 6500K

Cool white LED / overcast daylight — pulls colour toward blue.

#EAEBEB

Trim

Matched off-white

Same hue at 92% lightness — trim reads coordinated, not stark.

#F7F7F7

Ceiling

Whisper tint

Near-white with a hint of the hero's undertone — ceiling feels intentional.

#392C22

Accent

Complementary punch

Hue +180°, slightly muted for paint vs. screen — use on a door, frame, or single piece.

#574738

Floor

Walnut neutral

Warm mid-brown grounds the scheme regardless of hero hue.

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.

You'll need

4.0 litres

1.06 US gallons · room for one touch-up coat. Buy slightly more to ensure single-batch match.

CSS — color
color: #313538;
CSS — background
background-color: #313538;
CSS Variable
--color-ral-effect-790-3: #313538;
Tailwind v3 — config
colors: { 'ral-effect-790-3': '#313538' }
Tailwind — arbitrary
bg-[#313538] text-[#313538]
SCSS
$ral-effect-790-3: #313538;

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 790-3 from the RAL Effect — 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 790-3 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 RAL Effect 790-3 equivalent across 16 brands (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Behr, Dulux and more), each with its code, so you can take RAL 790-3 straight to a can.

Built by DSGN.HOUSE Updated 2026

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.

What color is RAL 790-3?

RAL 790-3 is RAL Effect 790-3. On screen it is approximately #313538 (rgb 49, 53, 56).

What is RAL 790-3 in RGB?

RAL 790-3 is approximately rgb(49, 53, 56). Its HSL and CMYK values are in the color codes above.

What paint matches RAL 790-3?

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 790-3?

RAL 790-3 (RAL Effect 790-3) is approximately #313538 in HEX — the standard sRGB equivalent for screen.

What is RAL 790-3 in CMYK?

RAL 790-3 converts to roughly cmyk(13%, 5%, 0%, 78%). 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.

← All RAL colors