RAL Design System plus — hue 050

Warmth is not a fixed property of a hue but of hue and saturation together. A shade from this hue at saturation 05, such as 050 85 05 *Ocean sand*, feels virtually neutral; the same orange at C\* 78 feels hot. The hue sets the direction, the saturation the force.

That gives you a practical control that has less effect in other parts of the circle. In a space that is experienced as cold, you change the experience here faster with a jump in saturation than with a change of hue.

At saturations up to about 20 this hue reads as brown: 050 20 10 *Granite brown*, 050 40 10 *Mocha black*, 050 50 20 *Milk coffee brown*. That is the part most asked for in furniture, flooring and interiors, because it matches the colour of timber, leather and fired materials.

All 42 colours in this group

RAL 050 20 10 — Granite brownView RAL 050 20 10 →RAL 050 20 16 — Night brownView RAL 050 20 16 →RAL 050 30 10 — Obsidian brownView RAL 050 30 10 →RAL 050 30 20 — Tropical wood brownView RAL 050 30 20 →RAL 050 30 30 — Tobacco brownView RAL 050 30 30 →RAL 050 30 36 — Rosewood brownView RAL 050 30 36 →RAL 050 40 10 — Mocha blackView RAL 050 40 10 →RAL 050 40 20 — Florentine brownView RAL 050 40 20 →RAL 050 40 30 — Curry brownView RAL 050 40 30 →RAL 050 40 40 — Madeira brownView RAL 050 40 40 →RAL 050 40 50 — Autumn redView RAL 050 40 50 →RAL 050 50 10 — Teakwood brownView RAL 050 50 10 →RAL 050 50 20 — Milk coffee brownView RAL 050 50 20 →RAL 050 50 30 — Golden brownView RAL 050 50 30 →RAL 050 50 40 — Copper-metal redView RAL 050 50 40 →RAL 050 50 50 — Gold varnish brownView RAL 050 50 50 →RAL 050 50 60 — Titian redView RAL 050 50 60 →RAL 050 50 70 — Poppy redView RAL 050 50 70 →RAL 050 50 78 — Persian orangeView RAL 050 50 78 →RAL 050 60 10 — Ecru ochreView RAL 050 60 10 →RAL 050 60 20 — Caramel brownView RAL 050 60 20 →RAL 050 60 30 — Medium brownView RAL 050 60 30 →RAL 050 60 40 — Apricot brownView RAL 050 60 40 →RAL 050 60 50 — Orange yellowView RAL 050 60 50 →RAL 050 60 60 — Camel redView RAL 050 60 60 →RAL 050 60 70 — Carrot orangeView RAL 050 60 70 →RAL 050 60 80 — Gerbera redView RAL 050 60 80 →RAL 050 70 10 — Bamboo beigeView RAL 050 70 10 →RAL 050 70 20 — Amber greyView RAL 050 70 20 →RAL 050 70 30 — Sienna ochreView RAL 050 70 30 →RAL 050 70 40 — Light amber orangeView RAL 050 70 40 →RAL 050 70 50 — Melon redView RAL 050 70 50 →RAL 050 70 60 — Mango orangeView RAL 050 70 60 →RAL 050 80 10 — Pale siennaView RAL 050 80 10 →RAL 050 80 20 — Soft orangeView RAL 050 80 20 →RAL 050 80 30 — Pallid orangeView RAL 050 80 30 →RAL 050 85 05 — Ocean sandView RAL 050 85 05 →RAL 050 85 10 — Pure beigeView RAL 050 85 10 →RAL 050 85 20 — Biscuit creamView RAL 050 85 20 →RAL 050 90 05 — Eggshell whiteView RAL 050 90 05 →RAL 050 90 10 — Light peach roseView RAL 050 90 10 →RAL 050 93 05 — Tulle whiteView RAL 050 93 05 →

More about hue 050

Above about C\* 50 the reading tips over and orange becomes the only word that fits: 050 60 60 *Camel red* and, at the outer edge, 050 60 80 *Gerbera red* at saturation 80. The border between those two families is not sharp, but it is noticeable: at around saturation 40 two people can name the same shade differently.

In public space orange is almost always read as a signal — road works, lifting equipment, protective clothing. That meaning is learned, but so strongly that a saturated shade from this hue on a façade or an installation is interpreted as a warning even without a signalling function. In RAL Classic that area is laid down in colours such as RAL 2004 pure orange and RAL 2011 deep orange; anyone choosing a saturated shade in this hue for a decorative purpose has to be aware of that association.

Conversely, the same property is an advantage where something has to be found. Orange combines a high attention value with better legibility at a distance than yellow at equal lightness, because the contrast with green and blue in the surroundings is greater.

Together with red, orange is the colour family in which lightfastness sets the sharpest requirements. Organic orange pigments fade faster under UV than inorganic ones, and with a saturated shade the loss is visible sooner than with a muted one, because there is more colouring pigment to lose. For exterior use in this area, ask explicitly about the pigment system and the expected colour stability, and bear in mind that a repaired or touched-up surface will differ from the original after a few years.

The range runs here from L\* 20 to L\* 93, with light reflectance values from 6.3 to 85.1 — enough spread to close a contrast calculation for a safety function within this one hue.

Technical data

Hue: 050 · Shades: 42 · Lightness: L\* 20–93 · Saturation: C\* 05–80 · Lab values: per shade on the colour page · LRV: 6.3 to 85.1 · Included in: RAL D4 A4 colour samples (colour standard), RAL D2 fan deck, RAL D3 colour book, RAL D4 atlas, RAL D6 and D8 boxes

Neighbouring hues

RAL Design 040, RAL Design 060

Loose colour samples from this group

Click a colour for the available formats, or see the full product range in the shop.

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