RAL Colour Guide for Kitchens: Choosing a Shade for a Yorkshire Home

A light grey-blue Shaker kitchen and island resprayed by ColourHaus.

The RAL Classic system gives every standard colour a four-digit code, so a shade such as RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey can be mixed the same way by any paint maker. For kitchen resprays, eight codes cover most of what homeowners ask us for: RAL 7016 and 7021 for dark greys, RAL 6021 and 6019 for greens, RAL 9001, 1013 and 9010 for whites and off-whites, and RAL 5011 for a deep blue. This guide explains each one, how light changes them and how to test a sample before you commit.

What Is the RAL Colour System?

RAL is a colour standard that began in Germany in 1927. The RAL Classic collection, which covers more than 200 colours, gives each one a four-digit code and a name, so the colour can be reproduced consistently whatever paint it is mixed in. Larger collections, such as RAL Design, add many more shades. For kitchens, the Classic range covers what most people need.

The code tells you the colour, not the quality of the finish. A professional kitchen respray uses a primer and topcoat system that is sprayed on and cured to a hard, wipeable surface. That is a different product from a tin of emulsion in the same RAL shade. Our kitchen respraying service page explains the system we use and what the 5-year written guarantee covers.

Eight RAL Colours That Work in Kitchens

Code	Name	Undertone	Works well with
RAL 7016	Anthracite Grey	Dark grey with a cool, blue-grey undertone	Bright or south-facing kitchens; pale worktops
RAL 7021	Black Grey	Near-black grey, deeper than 7016	Contemporary and handleless kitchens with strong light
RAL 6021	Pale Green	Soft, grey-toned green in the sage family	Almost any light; brass handles and wood worktops
RAL 6019	Pastel Green	Light, airy green, paler than 6021	Smaller kitchens; wall units in a two-tone scheme
RAL 9001	Cream	Warm off-white with a cream undertone	Traditional and Shaker kitchens; older stone houses
RAL 1013	Oyster White	Sandier, more stone-toned off-white than 9001	Warm wood, terracotta and natural stone
RAL 9010	Pure White	Clean, bright white	Modern kitchens with good natural light
RAL 5011	Steel Blue	Very dark navy blue	Base units or islands, paired with a white or cream

RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey

A dark grey with a cool, slightly blue undertone. It is deep enough to look strong on Shaker or slab doors but softer than black. It looks best with good natural light and pale worktops or walls; in a north-facing room, balance it with light surfaces and good lighting. Satin is the practical finish for most kitchens, and matt suits it if you want a softer, flatter look.

RAL 7021 Black Grey

Darker than 7016 and close to black, with just enough grey to stop it looking harsh. It suits contemporary and handleless kitchens and open-plan spaces with plenty of light. It needs contrast, such as light worktops or pale walls, so the room does not feel enclosed.

RAL 6021 Pale Green

A soft, grey-toned green in the sage family. It sits comfortably with brass handles, wooden worktops and warm tiles, and it copes with most light conditions. It is one of the easier colours to live with over many years because it reads as calm rather than fashionable.

RAL 6019 Pastel Green

A lighter, airier green than 6021. It works in smaller kitchens where a deeper green could feel heavy, and as the wall-unit colour in a two-tone scheme over a deeper green or grey.

RAL 9001 Cream

A warm off-white with a cream undertone. It avoids the clinical look of a bright white, which is why it suits traditional and Shaker kitchens and older stone-built houses. Satin is easier to keep clean than matt in a busy kitchen.

RAL 1013 Oyster White

A sandier, more stone-toned off-white than 9001. It works with warm wood, terracotta and natural stone worktops, and is worth sampling if you want an off-white with a little more warmth and depth.

RAL 9010 Pure White

A clean, bright white for modern and handleless kitchens. It looks best with good natural light; in a dark or north-facing kitchen it can look slightly cold. It is often used on wall units above a darker base colour.

RAL 5011 Steel Blue

Despite the name, RAL 5011 is a very dark navy blue. It works well on base units or an island, paired with RAL 9001 or 9010 above. Brass or brushed steel handles both suit it.

These photos show the colour families described above. We have not labelled them with RAL codes because the exact codes for these jobs are not recorded here.

How Light Direction Changes a Colour

North-facing kitchens get cooler, indirect light all day, so dark and cool colours look heavier. Warm off-whites (RAL 9001, RAL 1013), soft greens (RAL 6021) and warmer greys usually work better. If you want a dark kitchen, balance it with pale worktops, light walls and good artificial lighting.

South-facing kitchens get direct sun for much of the day and can carry darker colours such as RAL 7016 or RAL 5011. Strong sun also makes colours look lighter at midday and darker in shade, so check your sample at both times.

East- and west-facing kitchens change through the day: bright in the morning and dimmer later if east-facing, the reverse if west-facing. Look at your sample at several times before you decide.

Two-Tone Kitchen Pairings

Using a darker colour on the base units or island and a lighter one on the wall units grounds the room while keeping it bright. These pairings work well:

• RAL 9001 Cream above, RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey below: a classic contrast that suits Shaker and slab doors.
• RAL 9010 Pure White above, RAL 5011 Steel Blue below: crisp and modern, best with good natural light.
• RAL 6019 Pastel Green above, RAL 6021 Pale Green below: a tonal scheme that adds depth without a hard contrast.
• RAL 9001 Cream above, RAL 7021 Black Grey below: a high-contrast option for larger, well-lit kitchens.

An island can pick up the base-unit colour or carry a third shade of its own. Bear in mind that a two-tone scheme takes a little longer to spray, because each colour is masked and sprayed separately.

Matching Farrow & Ball and Other Paint Colours

Many people start with a Farrow & Ball or Little Greene colour rather than a RAL code. You do not need to convert it yourself. Our colour matching service uses a spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures how a surface reflects light across the visible spectrum, to read your chip, tin lid, fabric or existing furniture and produce a spray mix. We then spray a sample for you to approve before any work starts.

If you want a RAL starting point for comparison, these are rough neighbours only, not equivalents:

• Farrow & Ball Railings (No. 31): in the same very dark territory as RAL 7021 Black Grey.
• Farrow & Ball Sage Green (No. 80) and Breakfast Room Green (No. 81): in the soft green family alongside RAL 6021 and RAL 6019.
• Farrow & Ball Pointing (No. 2003): a warm off-white in the same family as RAL 9001 and RAL 1013.

Brand colours and RAL colours are mixed differently and can look quite different side by side, which is why we match from the actual reference rather than relying on a chart.

“We had tired high gloss units resprayed to a Farrow and Ball Pigeon colour match. The result is even better than we imagined - it looks like a completely new kitchen.”

How to Test a Colour Before You Commit

Never choose a kitchen colour from a screen or a small paint-shop chip. A sprayed sample in the actual paint system and sheen is the only reliable guide, because a brushed emulsion chip looks different from a sprayed satin finish. We bring sprayed samples to the survey.

• Hold the sample next to your worktop, splashback and floor.
• Look at it in the morning, at midday, in the afternoon and under your kitchen lights in the evening.
• Remember that a colour covering a whole kitchen looks stronger than a small sample. If you are torn between two shades, the lighter or softer one is usually the safer choice.

For ideas beyond RAL codes, see our article on the best kitchen colours for 2026. For prices and the full process, read the complete guide to kitchen spray painting or see finished kitchens in our gallery. If you are changing the worktops and tiles too, our kitchen makeover puts the respray, spray granite worktops, tiles and handles on one quote.