Nearest-color comparison
Aegean Blue #4E6E81 vs Shale #59656F: RGB distance 22.9 and contrast 1.1:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Aegean Blue and Shale are very close, with an RGB distance of 22.9. Aegean Blue is lighter by 0.0178, and Aegean Blue is more saturated by 14 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.1:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Aegean Blue and Shale across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Aegean Blue is #4E6E81, a cool blue with hue 202°, saturation 25% and luminance 0.1436. Beside Shale, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.42:1.
blue color
Shale is #59656F, a cool blue with hue 207°, saturation 11% and luminance 0.1258. Beside Aegean Blue, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.97:1.
Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.
Downloadable color comparison infographic
Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.
Machine-readable data
Structured comparison data for Aegean Blue and Shale, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.
Colors Encyclopedia
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and linksdifferencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributesaccessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each coloruseCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them togetherrelatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints[
{
"slug": "aegean-blue",
"name": "Aegean Blue",
"hex": "#4E6E81",
"rgb": [
78,
110,
129
],
"hsl": [
202,
25,
41
],
"cmyk": [
40,
15,
0,
49
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1436,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.87,
"white": 5.42
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.42
},
"description": "Aegean Blue is #4E6E81, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Shale, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/aegean-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aegean-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "shale",
"name": "Shale",
"hex": "#59656F",
"rgb": [
89,
101,
111
],
"hsl": [
207,
11,
39
],
"cmyk": [
20,
9,
0,
56
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1258,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.52,
"white": 5.97
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
},
"description": "Shale is #59656F, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Aegean Blue, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/shale/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 22.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 5,
"saturation": 14,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0178,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Aegean Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Aegean Blue"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.1,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Aegean Blue",
"background": "#4E6E81",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.42
},
{
"color": "Shale",
"background": "#59656F",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Aegean Blue is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4E6E81.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Shale is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #59656F.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}[
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aegean-blue-vs-shale.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aegean-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "aegean-blue-vs-shale",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Aegean Blue vs Shale",
"verdict": "Aegean Blue and Shale are very close colors. Aegean Blue is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.1:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Aegean Blue and Shale are different blue colors with HEX values #4E6E81 and #59656F. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 22.9, their contrast ratio is 1.1:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 22.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "aegean-blue",
"name": "Aegean Blue",
"hex": "#4E6E81",
"rgb": [
78,
110,
129
],
"hsl": [
202,
25,
41
],
"cmyk": [
40,
15,
0,
49
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1436,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.87,
"white": 5.42
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.42
},
"description": "Aegean Blue is #4E6E81, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Shale, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/aegean-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aegean-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "shale",
"name": "Shale",
"hex": "#59656F",
"rgb": [
89,
101,
111
],
"hsl": [
207,
11,
39
],
"cmyk": [
20,
9,
0,
56
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1258,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.52,
"white": 5.97
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
},
"description": "Shale is #59656F, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Aegean Blue, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/shale/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 22.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 5,
"saturation": 14,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0178,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Aegean Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Aegean Blue"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.1,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Aegean Blue",
"background": "#4E6E81",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.42
},
{
"color": "Shale",
"background": "#59656F",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Aegean Blue is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4E6E81.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Shale is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #59656F.",
"useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
},
"relatedApi": [
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aegean-blue-vs-shale.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aegean-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/aegean-blue-vs-shale/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aegean-blue-vs-shale.json"
}