After the first world war, Germany was in a period of economic recovery. Mass production techniques were advancing and there was a need for a quality assurance standard. German Industry and the government decided to standardise quality assurance, testing, and labeling. This lead to the forming of the Reichs-Ausschuss für Lieferbedingungen (National Board for Delivery Conditions).
The RAL was founded on 23rd April 1925 and was, and still is an independent body. The reliability of the RAL quality assurance system depends on adherence to the quality standards and test specifications by the companies themselves as well as regular monitoring carried out by independent third parties.
In 1927 RAL set the first binding standards in 1927 with a collection of the 40 most widely used colours in industry and public life. These 40 colours were defined for the first time and uniquely classified using RAL numbers. Today, the 2,328 RAL colours are a defining worldwide standard used in industry, trade and design, as well as by professional users of colour.
In 2008 the RAL German Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification (Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung) formed a new company called RAL gGmbH specifically to handle its RAL colours.