# How do you get accurate RAL colors?



## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

I apologize if this is in the wrong place, I could have sworn there was a paint sub-forum.

My personal issue on this is that I am trying to mimic this color, a shade specialized says is powdercoated, but wont give an RAL for.









depending on the image, RAL 1028 or 2000 is the pick (Melon Yellow and Yellow Orange)

I honestly just want the vibrant, almost neon yellow orange this bike is in person. but looking at dozens of pictures of this on google... both colors seem to hit... and totally miss that shade.

how can I predict what color a powdercoat will be, BEFORE it's shot?

RAL 1028:








RAL 2000:








now both these images get close. but I see a lot of very red RAL 2000, and very taxi cab yellow RAL 1028.

I need a little advice here, if anyone has any!


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## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

this is ALSO RAL 2000








And it looks nothing like the shade.

Not to rule out about a half dozen other RAL oranges.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

I think this is ral 2004. I got it painted a few months ago. halogen light, whitebalance to match what my eyes saw in that light as close as possible.

http://forums.mtbr.com/frame-building/best-custom-painters-844681-2.html

What you need to do is go to a painter and get one of those booklets/charts, then deciede.

There is like 0.00000000% chance you will get the color you want from looking at pics on the net.

First there is the camera sensor and the white balance, then there is the ambient light there. then there is your monitor and its settings (needs to be calibrated, and if its TN panel you can pretty much forget that it actually can produce the color at all as it looks in reality), then there is the graphics card and its settings., and then there is the backlight, is it led or cfl, leds are worse, then there is the limited bith depth (dynamic range), usually 6 or max 8 bit, and reality is like 30 bit, I could go on and on and on.

But i'll make it swift: forget it... yeah.

get a chart.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

Ralcolors follws no system all. its just a number and family (like 2xxx) Instead, look at the NCS system. Much better imo and you can imagine the color just by knowing the number/name. Natural Color System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just google pics of ral 2xxx and see the spread. its a joke doing this on computers.


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## TLKD (Mar 29, 2010)

Just order a fan deck, it is the only way you can do it. Here's a place you can do so:

https://ralcolorusa.com/shop/ral-classic-1/ral-k7-fan-deck--1

Been trying to find a proper RAL color for over a week about a month ago, browsed the web, the colors were always off the charts. Then finally got my hands on one of those fan deck, that.

Good luck.


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## Agwan (Feb 16, 2011)

I know well how awful it is trying to deal with colors over the web, I've got quite a bit of experience with graphic design, color trueness is a never-ending nightmare.

I know my powdercoater has those chips, thus far we've been looking at samples he's shot on his walls. I better just go make him pull out the books!


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## thickfog (Oct 29, 2010)

I ended up buying a ral deck. Glad I did. The colors are very different on the deck than on screen.


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## pvd (Jan 4, 2006)

DuPont will mail you color cards. That's the only way of doing it. In person and with cards or painted samples.


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## coconinocycles (Sep 23, 2006)

That is 2000, it's one of my "stock" colors - if you want to make it pop like crazy put an adam's gold topcoat on it. 
- Steve Garro, Coconino Cycles


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

If you calibrate your monitor the colors will be pretty accurate. Just saying/fyi.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

bsieb said:


> If you calibrate your monitor the colors will be pretty accurate. Just saying/fyi.


I would still just get a ral chart (or even borrow one) and decide after that. ;;From my experience when dealing with colors and customers I'd say go with a color 2 shades brigther/lighter than you think is the one you want (when getting small samples like 2x2cm). It always looks darker when its finished. Just saying.


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## BenCooper (Feb 25, 2013)

Also, once you have your RAL chart, take it outside - I make all my customers do that, the bike is going to be used outside so you need to compare the colours in daylight not artificial light.


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