Colour at home
Grey and olive RAL shades for sheds and outbuildings
Six quiet greys and greens that sit well in a garden, how foliage, brick and sky shift them, and how to test a shed colour before you paint it.
Read the noteChart / 6000 series / RAL 6006 Grey olive
RAL 6006 Grey olive
A very dark, almost neutral grey, with a slightly warm cast 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) | #40433B |
|---|---|
| RGB | 64, 67, 59 |
| HSL | 83°, 6%, 25% |
| CMYK (naive) | 4, 0, 12, 74 |
| CIE Lab (from sRGB) | 27.9, -3, 4.4 |
| Relative luminance | 5.4% |
| Text contrast | white text 10.1:1, black text 2.1:1 |
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 6006 reads
Grey olive is a very dark, greyed olive that reads almost charcoal with a green tint. It is greyer than RAL 6003 olive green and close to RAL 6015 black olive, though a little warmer and browner.
Where it turns up
It suits garden buildings, sheds, machinery and window frames. Matt or satin finishes keep it quiet; check a sample against nearby greys and greens before ordering, as it changes character with its neighbours.
Working with grey olive
RAL 6006 grey olive is a very dark, greyed olive that most people first read as charcoal. Look again in daylight and a soft green brown tint comes through, which is what makes it sit so comfortably beside timber, planting and stone. It is greyer than RAL 6003 olive green and close to RAL 6015 black olive.
It suits garden buildings, sheds, summerhouses, fences, gates, machinery and window or door frames. On garden buildings it is a quieter alternative to RAL 7016 anthracite grey, and on machinery it hides dirt and wear well.
To order, quote RAL 6006 and name the product: exterior wood paint, metal paint, aerosol, masonry paint or powder coat. Not every range holds it ready mixed, so it may be tinted at the counter; ask for the colour by number and keep the batch details in case you need more.
Finish and primer choices:
- Timber: a microporous exterior wood paint, usually in matt or satin, which keeps the natural look.
- Steel: an anti corrosion primer in mid or dark grey, then satin topcoats.
- Galvanised steel: a primer made for zinc surfaces first.
- Powder coated frames and gates: ask for a cured test panel, since curing can shift dark shades a little.
Dark colours absorb more heat in the sun, so on uPVC or composite products check the maker's guidance on dark shades before choosing it.
Grey olive pairs well with natural timber, with cream or off white trim such as RAL 9001 cream, with warm greys like RAL 7032 pebble grey, and with darker accents such as RAL 9005 jet black for ironmongery.
To check a sample, paint a board at least the size of a sheet of paper and look at it outside on a sunny day and on an overcast one. Dark olives can look almost black under cloud and noticeably green in low evening sun. If you are unsure which dark neutral you want, compare it with RAL 6015 black olive and RAL 7016 anthracite grey on a physical fan deck, side by side, before ordering.
Ordering RAL 6006 in paint or powder
Quote the number, not just the name: say "RAL Classic 6006" 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.