Top RAL Colours for Aluminium Windows: 2008–2026 Trend Analysis

Over 29 years of completing aluminium window spraying projects across commercial buildings in the UK, we've accumulated a clear picture of how colour preferences move. The data below is drawn entirely from Vanda Coatings' own project work, not industry surveys or manufacturer forecasts, but actual specification choices made by property managers, architects, and building owners on live commercial projects.

Three colours have held the top positions consistently since 2008. Below those, the picture shifts, particularly from 2018 onwards, where a broadening of tastes has introduced deeper greys, muted greens, and warm neutrals into the top 10 in a way that simply wasn't happening a decade earlier.

The three consistent leaders

Regardless of the year, these three RAL codes have never left the top three positions across our project data. Their dominance comes down to architectural versatility, they work across building types, planning constraints, and client preferences without risk.

The wider top 20: 2008–2026

Beyond the top three, the following RAL codes have appeared consistently in annual top-10 rankings across the full data period. Hover to identify each colour.

How preferences have shifted: milestone snapshots

Breaking the data into four-year windows shows how the picture below the top three has evolved, and where the clearest movements have occurred.

Emerging trends into 2026

The most notable shift in recent project specifications has been the entry of muted green tones, particularly RAL 6009 Fir Green and RAL 6005 Moss Green, into specifications where, five years ago, only greys and blacks would have appeared. This aligns directly with the broader push toward biophilic design in commercial interiors and façades.

Warm neutral greys, RAL 7006 Beige Grey and RAL 8019 Grey Brown, have also gained ground, particularly on hospitality and mixed-use developments where the brief calls for something warmer than standard anthracite but less distinctive than a colour. These feel contemporary without being trend-led.

At the darker end, RAL 7022 Umbra Grey has emerged as an alternative to RAL 7016 among specifiers looking for something slightly less ubiquitous, a similar depth but with a warmer undertone that works well against brick and natural stone.

What drives colour specification choices?

A note on this data

All figures and rankings are drawn from aluminium window spraying projects completed by Vanda Coatings since 2008. The data covers commercial and public sector projects only, schools, offices, retail premises, industrial units, and mixed-use buildings across mainland Britain. Residential work is not included. Colour counts are based on project volume, not area sprayed.

The data provides a useful reference point for anyone specifying a colour refresh or considering what will look current versus what will date quickly. That said, the right colour choice is always site-specific, and any serious specification decision should be made from physical RAL colour samples, not screen references.

Anthony Jones

Director, Vanda Coatings, 29 years experience

Anthony has been involved in commercial spraying since the late 1990s, progressing through business development, estimating, and contracts management. He holds an MSc in Computing and oversees all technical and commercial operations at Vanda Coatings. The colour trend data in this article is drawn from projects he has personally surveyed and managed.