The global industrial colour standard RAL (Sankt Augustin / Germany; www.ral.de) has added a colour standard for plastics to its repertoire. RAL Plastics will make its debut at “K 2010” (www.k-online.de), held in Düsseldorf / Germany in late October. The new range was developed together with masterbatch manufacturer Gabriel-Chemie (Gumpoldskirchen / Austria; www.gabriel-chemie.com).

Initially, RAL will offer the 100 most frequently used colours from its classic collection. Eventually, the scale of colours on offer will be extended to some 200 different shades, saving plastics processors the time and expenses in trying to reproduce RAL paint sample colours in plastics.

RAL Plastic samples consist of PP pieces with different surface textures and thicknesses, which allow users to gain a realistic impression on how their colours will work with different material applications.