When specifying colours used for powder coating in the UK there are a number of colour standards to choose from. The most widely used are RAL and BS 4800. Other standards used are NCS, BS 381C and occasionally Pantone. Most powder manufacturers will also produce a range of house shades and many will also make special shades to order.
RAL shades
The RAL standard was created by the ‘Reichsausschuss für Lieferbedingungen’ or ‘Committee of the German Reich for Terms and Conditions of Sale.’
In 1927 this body created the first RAL colour chart; the RAL 840 colour scale containing 40 colours. The RAL colour standard now contains approximately 2000 shades.
A small sub set of RAL colours (approximately 200 shades) designated RAL CLASSIC are most commonly used in powder coating in the UK. Each RAL CLASSIC shade is designated by a 4 digit numerical code e.g. RAL 6005.
The RAL classic shades are organised in groups of colours as follows:
Shades beginning in 1 – beige/yellow/ivory
Shades beginning in 2 – orange
Shades beginning in 3 – red/pink
Shades beginning in 4 – purple/lilac/violet
Shades beginning in 5 – blue
Shades beginning in 6 – green/olive
Shades beginning in 7 – grey
Shades beginning in 8 – brown
Shades beginning in 9 – white/black
Two of the RAL colours RAL9006 & RAL9007 are different to the other RAL classic shades in that they are not really colour standards (but special references for the German railways.) As a result the appearance of these shades will vary considerably between powder manufactures.
Less widely used are the RAL DESIGN standard which is designated by 7 numbers e.g. 010 30 15 and the RAL EFFECT standard designated by either 4 numbers or three numbers plus the letter M (for metallic) e.g. 310-6 or 310-M.
BS 4800
‘BS 4800:1989 – Schedule of paint colours for building purposes’
Each shade within the standard has a 5 digit code made up of two numbers, a letter and two more numbers e.g. 10C31.
The same colours are also referred to in BS5252: 1976
NCS Shades
The NCS (Natural Colour System) standard has its origin in Sweden in the 1920′s. It is referred to as a ‘visual colour system’ and based on the ideas taken from “Das natürliche System der Farbempfindungen” published by the German physiologist Ewald Hering in 1874. The NCS system is an attempt to create a visually descriptive colour system.
Colours in the NCS are designated by an 8 digit alpha numerical code defining darkness, saturation and hue. The first 4 digits specify darkness and saturation; the second 4 digit group refer to hue.
For example:
3050 Y80R designates 30% darkness, 50% saturation, 20% yellow and 80% red.
BS381 C
The other British Standard Colour is ‘BS 381C:1996 – Specification for colours for identification, coding and special purposes’.
These shades are designated by a 3 digit numerical code e.g. 697. They are often specified for marine and military applications.
Pantone shades
The Pantone system is widely used within the graphic design, printing, publishing, textile and plastics industries. It is sometimes specified for powder coating especially where a sign or piece of architecture is required to match a company logo or corporate colours.
The Pantone system was created in 1963 by Lawrence Herbert in order to identify and match colours for the graphic arts community.
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