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 / 7000 series / RAL 7037 Dusty grey
RAL 7037 Dusty grey
A mid-toned, almost neutral grey on screen. First published on this chart 23 April 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) | #7C7F7E |
|---|---|
| RGB | 124, 127, 126 |
| HSL | 160°, 1%, 49% |
| CMYK (naive) | 2, 0, 1, 50 |
| CIE Lab (from sRGB) | 52.9, -1.3, 0.1 |
| Relative luminance | 21% |
| Text contrast | white text 4:1, black text 5.2:1 |
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 7037 reads
Dusty grey is a neutral mid grey with very little cast, darker than RAL 7004 signal grey and lighter than RAL 7005 mouse grey. It is a plain, balanced grey that goes with almost anything.
Where it turns up
It suits garden buildings, machinery, window frames and gates. Its neutrality makes it forgiving, but always check a sample in daylight before ordering a batch.
Working with dusty grey
RAL 7037 dusty grey is a neutral mid grey with very little colour cast, darker than RAL 7004 signal grey and lighter than RAL 7005 mouse grey. Its plainness is the point: it sits quietly next to timber, brick, planting and other greys without fighting any of them.
It suits garden buildings, sheds, summerhouses, fences, machinery and window or door frames. On garden buildings it gives a calm, modern look without the weight of RAL 7016 anthracite grey. On machinery it hides dust well and keeps equipment looking tidy between cleans.
To order, quote RAL 7037 and name the product: exterior wood paint, metal paint, masonry paint, aerosol or powder coat. Mid greys are widely offered, though not every product range holds every grey ready mixed, so it may need tinting at the counter. Say what the surface is and what gloss level you want, and note the batch number in case you need more later.
Finish and primer choices:
- Timber sheds and cladding: a microporous exterior wood paint in matt or satin lets the timber breathe.
- Steel frames and gates: an anti corrosion primer in mid grey, then satin or gloss topcoats.
- Galvanised steel: a primer made for zinc surfaces before the topcoat.
- Powder coated frames: ask for a cured test panel, since the cure can shift greys slightly.
Dusty grey pairs well with white trim (RAL 9016 traffic white or RAL 9010 pure white), with darker greys such as RAL 7016 for frames or doors, with natural timber and with muted greens like RAL 6021 pale green.
To check a sample, paint a board at least the size of a sheet of paper and stand it where the colour will be seen. Greys pick up colour from their surroundings, so a neutral grey can look slightly green beside a lawn or slightly blue under a cold sky. Look at it in the morning and in late afternoon, and compare it with a physical fan deck rather than a screen. If you are torn between two greys, remember that a colour usually looks stronger across a whole building than on a small board, so the softer of the two is often the safer pick.
Ordering RAL 7037 in paint or powder
Quote the number, not just the name: say "RAL Classic 7037" 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.