TREND REPORT

THE NEW RAL TREND REPORT

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+

KNOW + IMPROVE

MEDIATING
INFORMED
NUANCED
FOCUSED
OPEN
ADAPTIVE

The RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ facilitates functional and atmospheric design of physical and virtual products, collections and spaces. The 15 nuanced colours are a valuable and contemporary decision-making aid in design, architecture, industry, crafts and trade. The tried and tested colours help with confident colour decisions.

Design is at the intersection of innovation and the reinterpretation of the familiar. On the one hand, digitalisation and AI make new visual worlds possible, while on the other, traditional techniques and culture-based aesthetics continue to be valued.

A summary of the current trend report is available to download for free in several languages:

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Simply click on the respective colour for the individual colour stories.

RAL 095 90 20

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Pearl yellow

Pearl yellow exudes a gentle mood of optimism. It's a delicious alternative to bright white, but also needs good lighting to look its best. This atmospheric pastel works well with many colours in a range of design categories.

RAL 180 80 10

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Light teal

Light teal has a fresh feel to it without being too cold. Calm and serene, it's reminiscent of a sunkissed sky, making it particularly suitable for ceilings. Subtle yet charismatic, it is a wonderful balance to warmer palettes and natural materials.

RAL 230 40 25

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Workshop blue

Workshop blue is as practical as it sounds. From ultra-matt to super-gloss, this colour has proven itself in many applications. In general, it is a wonderful colour for accents and zoning, but sometimes it can be fantastic to immerse a whole room in it.

RAL 060 70 20

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Peanut butter

Peanut butter has a warm, relaxed and nature-inspired feel. It's easy to combine with many colours in most environments. More neutral than terracotta and more sensual than beiges and greys, it's a fantastic investment at any scale. Peanut butter is one of our five consciously continued colours. Ten new colours refresh the palette. This approach saves resources, simplifies combinations and promotes longevity. This frees up more capacity for real improvements.

RAL 040 50 60

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Fox red

Fox red is a striking accent colour that makes a vibrant statement. Its energetic and optimistic look is perfect for highlighting details and focal points in any category of design. A small amount is usually enough to attract attention. Fox red is one of our five consciously continued colours. Ten new colours refresh the palette. This approach saves resources, simplifies combinations and promotes longevity. This frees up more capacity for real improvements.

RAL 090 85 05

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Pepper white

Pepper white creates a soft atmosphere. Balanced and versatile, it can be used at any scale and is suitable for most lighting conditions. It is much more relaxing to the eye and easier to combine with other colours than pure white. Pepper white is one of our five consciously continued colours. Ten new colours refresh the palette. This approach saves resources, simplifies combinations and promotes longevity. This frees up more capacity for real improvements.

RAL 240 60 15

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Architecture blue

Architecture blue has a stabilising quality. Unlike many other blues, it is not visually receding. Unobtrusive and calm, it combines well with many colours and can be used at any scale. It is a great choice for those who crave more colour but want a safe option.

RAL 110 85 50

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Sprout green

Sprout green expresses a motivational and energetic quality. This vibrant accent colour is usually best used in moderation. It is a wonderful way to add a fresh touch to all kinds of physical and digital colour palettes.

RAL 190 20 20

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Night turquoise

Night turquoise has a fascinating depth. It works effortlessly across materials and finishes and at any scale. Think of it as a more atmospheric alternative to black. It's an ideal background colour for gallery walls and ceilings.

RAL 080 70 05

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Garlic beige

Garlic beige calms down anything that seems too busy around it. Despite its name, this subtle colour will never leave a bad taste in your mouth. It's a safe option for staples. But be sure to pair it with a few accents to avoid blandness. Garlic beige is one of our five consciously continued colours. Ten new colours refresh the palette. This approach saves resources, simplifies combinations and promotes longevity. This frees up more capacity for real improvements.

RAL 100 60 10

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Olivine grey

Olivine grey is a flexible, unpretentious all-rounder for everything from architecture to fashion. It harmonises with many other colours, works wonders as a relaxing backdrop and hides imperfections well. Easy to use at any scale, it has durability built in.

RAL 140 80 30

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Relaxation green

Relaxation green is a revitalising colour for accenting and zoning. It can look very different depending on the material and finish application. Matt and textured surfaces support a more calming effect, while higher gloss levels enhance the refreshing quality

RAL 010 30 20

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Pinkish brown

Pinkish brown has an air of sophistication about it. Deep and versatile, it fits seamlessly into everything from graphic design to architecture and from historically inspired themes to modern, cutting-edge styles. Use it at any scale.

RAL 360 70 15

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Opaline pink

Opaline Pink creates an inviting and memorable atmosphere. It's perfect for defining spaces and adding unique details. Contrary to popular belief, this versatile colour looks stunning on floors and walls, but of course it works across design categories. Opaline pink is one of our five consciously continued colours. Ten new colours refresh the palette. This approach saves resources, simplifies combinations and promotes longevity. This frees up more capacity for real improvements.

RAL 040 50 30

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ Rust coloured

Rust coloured is the ideal blend of contemporary nuance and timeless appeal. Its inviting, warm and grounding atmosphere is effective across a wide range of design categories including furniture, architecture, fashion, automotive, graphics and more.

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+

COLOURS

KNOW + IMPROVE encourages informed design

Many people are more informed than ever before. They expect affordable, practical and emotionally appealing products that are also environmentally and ethically responsible. Global economic, social and political crises, as well as environmental disasters are reinforcing this trend. Businesses have a responsibility to offer attractive, truly sustainable, circular and regenerative solutions.

Contemporary design is open and focused

The RAL COLOUR FEELING follows the concept of continuity and supports sustainable design. The 2026+ colour palette includes five colours from the previous edition. Ten additional colours update the palette. This approach saves resources, simplifies combinations and promotes longevity. This frees up more capacity for real improvements. It is high time to work openly and focused towards a future worth living for all.

All colours in the palette can be mixed and matched. Our inspiring colour profiles help you make decisions about high-quality working and living environments. They support functionality, sensuality, regeneration, communication and creativity.

KNOW + IMPROVE is a professional design tool for adaptive design

With KNOW+ IMPROVE we offer professionals involved in design and architecture a useful design tool, which not only gives inspiration in the short term, but also makes project work easier in the long term. The key to adaptable design for various uses lies in the simple combinability of the colours. The colour matrix provides a wide range of suggestions for the atmospheric and function-oriented design of our environment.

Colour should not be considered in isolation. Combining the colour with ColourCODES, FormCODES, SurfaceCODES and PatternCODES describes its overall effect. The RAL COLOUR FEELING colours are extremely versatile. They enable the implementation of subtle to eye-catching concepts. Pleasant surface colours and coordinated accents can easily be combined.

Vary and expand the colour selection simply and quickly with RAL DESIGN SYSTEM plus. You can also combine additional colours from the previous RAL COLOUR FEELING suggestions. You can find the direct links at the bottom of the RAL COLOUR FEELING overview page.

KNOW + IMPROVE trend report background information

RAL COLOUR FEELING series originated from the idea of providing as many people as possible with encouraging and easily applicable inspiration. Targeted and responsible choice of colour can have an emotionally and physically relieving and supportive effect. We are sharing our knowledge about constructive colour design and look forward to seeing your applications. Please use the hashtag #colourfeeling to share your work with the RAL COLOUR FEELING trend colours.

The Trendmemo info-graphics show which mega-, macro- and microtrends we have taken into account when making our decisions to select the 15 colours for KNOW + IMPROVE. We use several methods to forecast trends so that we can offer relevant colour suggestions with long-term value.

The colours selected for the trend report are based on observing and assessing social, technological, economic and design trends over the last 60 years. The colour spectrum which has been developed also refers to fundamental design categories and detailed studies on the effect and perception of colour.

With the RAL DESIGN SYSTEM plus the 2026+ colour selection can be extended and adapted to individual projects and products. The colour system with 1,825 standardised colours enables clear and systematic colour communication and true colour implementation worldwide.

The RAL COLOUR FEELING series is intentionally less time-related than publications with a pure focus on short-term trend colours. Our aim is not to define inflexible colours but rather to develop an up-to-date to future-proof colour profile, which creates design possibilities rather than reducing them.

RAL stands for quality

RAL has stood for quality and environmentally aware design for decades. This approach is demonstrated from the decision to make the colour trend collections freely available up to the awarding of the Blue Angel environmental quality seal. RAL has been reviewing and guaranteeing that the products and services awarded the Blue Angel satisfy high requirements regarding the environment, health and usage properties since 1978.

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TOOLS

Free to download:

Design-Kit (Colour Libaries, Main and Secondary Colours, Leporello, Images, Poster)

Press-Kit (Press Release, Images, Leporello)

PRESENTATION

RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+ KNOW + IMPROVE COLOUR TREND REPORT

Watch the video of the presentation of RAL COLOUR FEELING 2026+.