Can I convert RAL to Pantone or vice versa?

To convert RAL to Pantone and Pantone to RAL is difficult. These are separate colour systems and we recommend buying a book of each to check.

Each company owns the IP of their respective colours and there has been no collaboration to produce a chart for translation from one system to another.

Other companies (particularly paint companies) have attempted to cross reference RAL and Pantone colours but they cannot always be trusted. If you search the web you may find paint suppliers offering translations for RAL Classic colours but these can be quite far apart in colour space. RAL Classic colours were developed for external paint colours whereas Pantone was developed for printing inks and later for textile dyes.

To convert RAL to Pantone we recommend that you purchase the relevant RAL Guide and Pantone Guide and check yourself under controlled lighting conditions in a light booth.