Spray and restoration
Luminous RAL colours and why screens cannot show them
The five luminous RAL Classic shades glow because their pigments turn invisible light into colour. Here is why no screen can show them and how to paint them.
Read the noteChart / 3000 series / RAL 3024 Luminous red
fluorescent in real life
RAL 3024 Luminous red
A mid-toned, strong red on screen. First published on this chart 26 March 2013.
This swatch is a screen approximation of the colour. Check a physical RAL fan deck or a painted sample of the actual product before you order or match anything.
| Hex (sRGB) | #F70000 |
|---|---|
| RGB | 247, 0, 0 |
| HSL | 0°, 100%, 48% |
| CMYK (naive) | 0, 100, 100, 3 |
| CIE Lab (from sRGB) | 51.6, 78.2, 65.6 |
| Relative luminance | 19.8% |
| Text contrast | white text 4.2:1, black text 5:1 |
Values are derived from the approximate hex above. CMYK is a simple conversion, not a print recipe: printers convert through their own profiles. Luminance is a screen figure, not a measured light reflectance value (LRV) from a paint data sheet.
How RAL 3024 reads
No screen can show what makes luminous red special: it is a fluorescent paint, and the flat red here is only a rough stand in. In daylight the real colour looks far more intense than RAL 3020 traffic red.
Where it turns up
Fluorescent red is used for visibility marking, warning signs and safety details. A screen cannot show fluorescence, so judge it from a real sample; it needs a white base and fades faster in sunlight than standard reds.
Working with luminous red
RAL 3024 luminous red is a fluorescent red, and a flat screen cannot show what makes it different. The pigment absorbs light and gives part of it back as visible red, so in daylight the paint looks brighter than an ordinary red ever can. The red on this page is just a rough placeholder; judge the colour only from a physical sample.
It is used for visibility marking, warning signs, temporary barriers, safety details on equipment and the odd decorative accent. Next to RAL 3020 traffic red it looks far more intense in daylight, even though the two may look much the same on a monitor.
Ordering takes a little care. Quote RAL 3024 and ask the supplier whether the product is genuinely fluorescent, because a standard red mixed to a similar hue will not glow. Fluorescent reds are most often sold as aerosols, sign paints and special powder coatings. Tell the supplier whether the item will be used indoors or outdoors, since that affects which product and topcoat make sense.
A typical system looks like this:
- a primer suited to the substrate
- a clean white basecoat, because over grey or red oxide primer the glow drops
- two or more thin coats of the fluorescent red
- a clear UV protective topcoat if the maker recommends one
Fading is the main limitation. Fluorescent pigments weaken in sunlight faster than ordinary ones, so on outdoor work plan for more frequent repainting and keep paint from the same batch for touch ups. Indoors, away from direct sun, the colour holds up much longer.
Luminous red pairs well with white, as in many warning stripes, and with black or dark grey such as RAL 7016 anthracite grey, which make it look brighter still. Keep the surrounding colours plain so the red does the work.
To check a sample, view a painted panel outdoors in daylight and then under the lighting where it will be used, and hold it next to a standard red such as RAL 3020. The fluorescent one should look as if it is lit from within. If it does not, check the product before painting the whole job, because no amount of extra coats will make an ordinary red fluoresce.
Ordering RAL 3024 in paint or powder
Quote the number, not just the name: say "RAL Classic 3024" and add the gloss level, the product type (wall paint, metal paint, powder, aerosol) and the surface. The same number mixed by two makers, or in two gloss levels, can look slightly different, so keep a whole job in one batch and look at a sample in daylight first. The paint counter guide covers the questions to ask.