What is an NCS color?

NCS stands for Natural Color System. Like the RAL color scale, NCS is a standardized color communication system that provides a unique opportunity to communicate color between everyone involved in a color process, to ensure that the end result is exactly as it should be. for example S 2050-Y40R The first two digits, 20, indicate the percentage in dark colors. The next two digits, 50, indicate the percentage in shades. The last four digits and letters indicate the color tone, Y40R means yellow with 40% tinting in red. This helps to identify colors and check specifications and with NCS notation describes the visual properties of the color, and therefore has nothing to do with mixing ratios of pigments or gloss, which can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Can you buy RAL color as spray paint?

Yes you can. It is a very popular paint and is available in many hardware stores and webshops. If you have decided on a RAL color, I would actually recommend you to buy Motip RAL Industri Spray which is a super good choice for topcoat paint in a spray can. In fact, it is also a cheaper alternative to us specially mixing a color for you.

Get to grips with color systems RAL and NCS

Bo Rasmussen Published 27. september 2022 Updated 21. januar 2025

RAL COLOR CHART – THE GLOBAL LANGUAGE OF COLOR

The RAL color system was first developed in Germany in 1927 with the aim of creating a standardized system that would make it easier for people to communicate color tones. 'RAL' is the abbreviation for 'Reichs-Ausschuß für Lieferbedingungen und Gütesicherung'

With a RAL code, you will be able to have a paint produced that matches without a color sample. The quality of the colors and shades that the RAL color system contains is a key factor in its popularity; because it makes it easy to find the right color match or a great new color.

The RAL system is possibly the most widely used of all the color scale systems currently in use. See which popular RAL colors are a sure hit.

Structure of the RAL color scale

RAL Classic currently consists of a collection of 216 shades. The RAL colors have a 4-digit number in combination with the letters 'RAL' (e.g. RAL 9017). The first digit is a system code number:

RAL 1xx - Yellow,
RAL 2xx - Orange
RAL 3xx - Red
RAL 4xx - Violet
RAL 5xx - Blue,
RAL 6xx - Green,
RAL 7xx - Grey,
RAL 8xx - Brown
RAL 9xx - White and black shades

The RAL Classic system is primarily used for paint, varnish and powder coating in decoration, building materials including doors, windows but is also widely used on agricultural and industrial vehicles, motorcycles, etc.

Please note that RAL Classic contains several fluorescent colors that can be difficult to reproduce. (RAL 1026 Luminous Yellow. RAL 2005 Luminous orange. RAL 2007 Luminous bright orange. RAL 3024 Luminous red. RAL 3026 Luminous bright red. RAL 6038 Luminous green.

Since the origin of RAL, more and more complex extensions of the classic RAL color system have also been developed.

RAL Design Plus is tailored to the needs of architects, designers and advertisers and contains 1825 colors

RAL Effect consists of 420 solid colors and 70 metallic colors.

NCS COLOR CHART - An internationally recognized color standard

NCS stands for Natural Color System. Like the RAL color scale, NCS is a standardized color communication system that provides a unique opportunity to communicate color between everyone involved in a color process, to ensure that the end result is exactly as it should be.

The current version of the NCS System was developed by the Swedish Color Center Foundation. After the launch of the NCS system in 1979, NCS quickly became the preferred color reference for architects, designers and industry globally.

At first glance, the color code of an NCS color may seem a little more confusing in its color code than RAL. But in fact, the color code tells you what color it is. The color codes in NCS have no name, but are a kind of “formula” that describes which colors are included in the color code.

Does that sound cryptic? Let me try to explain how the color is built.

Structure of color code

NCS S 1040-R20B

All NCS colors are structured as follows. A specification of the hue (Nuance) which is the first 4 digits, followed by four characters indicating the color tone (Hue). The NCS color scale is based on how we humans perceive colors, namely in six elementary colors: White, Black, Red, Yellow, Green and Blue.

These elementary colors form the NCS Color Space which is defined by three values composed in a three-dimensional color model. Here you can see the six elementary colors each with its own reference point.

If you look at the Color space "from above" you will be able to see the color circle where you see the colors, yellow, red, blue and green (R = Red, Y = Yellow, G = Green and B = Blue). The color tone (Hue) is thus defined from reference points on the four chromatic primary colors. You always read the color circle clockwise. So Yellow to Red, Red to Blue, Blue to Green and Green to Yellow.

Once the hue is defined, we need to look at the color triangle (which can also be seen in the NCS Color Space). The reference points in the color triangle describe the relationship between White (W) and Black (S) and Chromaticsness (C). The sum of the hue is always 100%, and with this the color can be determined.

So you might be thinking, what about black? It is neither blue, red, yellow or green.

All the neutral colors, pure gray colors, follow the "back" of the NCS triangle for all shades. The colors do not have a hue and only get hue notations followed by – N for neutral. Black is called NCS S 9000-N.

How to read an NCS notation

If we start from the color code S 1010-R60B

The S in front means that the color is part of the NCS index 2050 standard colors that exist.
The next two characters (10) show the color's percentage of black, and the following two (10) show the color's chromaticity. These numbers added together and subtracted from 100% indicate the color's percentage of white. 100% - (10%+10%) = 80% whiteness.
The first part, as mentioned, refers to the color's Hue. The next part of the color notation denotes the color aspect to which the color belongs (the color circle).
The first letter tells us the color is red (R = red), the following number is the color contains 60% of the last letter. In our case here, it means that 40% red and 60% blue.

S 1010-R60B is therefore a "weak" (due to the high percentage of whiteness) reddish color with a bluish tint.