Nearest-color comparison

Aluminum vs Gainsboro

Aluminum and Gainsboro are different gray colors with HEX values #D9DAD9 and #DCDCDC. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 4.7, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Aluminum and Gainsboro are very close colors. Gainsboro is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Aluminum#D9DAD9

Gainsboro#DCDCDC

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Aluminum and Gainsboro across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance4.7

Pair contrast1.02:1

Luminance delta0.0167

Hue delta120 deg

Lighter colorGainsboro

More saturatedAluminum

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Aluminum

Aluminum is #D9DAD9, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gainsboro, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for metallic palettes, product finishes, and premium packaging, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#D9DAD9 RGB217, 218, 217 HSL120, 1, 85 CMYK0, 0, 0, 15 Luminance0.699 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

gray color

Gainsboro

Gainsboro is #DCDCDC, a neutral gray color with light character. Compared with Aluminum, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#DCDCDC RGB220, 220, 220 HSL0, 0, 86 CMYK0, 0, 0, 14 Luminance0.7157 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Aluminum or Gainsboro

Choose AluminumAluminum is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #D9DAD9.

Choose GainsboroGainsboro is better when the design needs light gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #DCDCDC.

Use togetherUse these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyAluminumGainsboro

HEX#D9DAD9#DCDCDC

RGB217, 218, 217220, 220, 220

HSL120, 1, 850, 0, 86

CMYK0, 0, 0, 150, 0, 0, 14

FamilyGrayGray

TemperatureNeutralNeutral

ToneMutedLight

Luminance0.6990.7157

Black contrast14.98:115.31:1

White contrast1.4:11.37:1

Shared tonesNone

Accessibility and Contrast

Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.

Aluminumblack text - 14.98:1

Gainsboroblack text - 15.31:1

Related Palette Strip

A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.

Aluminum#D9DAD9

Gainsboro#DCDCDC

White#FFFFFF

#D9D8D9#D9D8D9

#DBDBDB#DBDBDB

colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and links

differencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributes

accessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each color

useCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them together

relatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints

Structured sections

Colors

[
  {
    "slug": "aluminum",
    "name": "Aluminum",
    "hex": "#D9DAD9",
    "rgb": [
      217,
      218,
      217
    ],
    "hsl": [
      120,
      1,
      85
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      0,
      0,
      15
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.699,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 14.98,
      "white": 1.4
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A",
        "#36454F"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A",
        "#36454F"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 14.98
    },
    "description": "Aluminum is #D9DAD9, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gainsboro, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for metallic palettes, product finishes, and premium packaging, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/aluminum/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aluminum.json"
  },
  {
    "slug": "gainsboro",
    "name": "Gainsboro",
    "hex": "#DCDCDC",
    "rgb": [
      220,
      220,
      220
    ],
    "hsl": [
      0,
      0,
      86
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      0,
      0,
      14
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "light"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.7157,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 15.31,
      "white": 1.37
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A",
        "#36454F"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A",
        "#36454F"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 15.31
    },
    "description": "Gainsboro is #DCDCDC, a neutral gray color with light character. Compared with Aluminum, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/gainsboro/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gainsboro.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 4.7,
  "contrastRatio": 1.02,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 120,
    "saturation": 1,
    "lightness": 1
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0167,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [],
  "lighterColor": "Gainsboro",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Aluminum"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Aluminum",
      "background": "#D9DAD9",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 14.98
    },
    {
      "color": "Gainsboro",
      "background": "#DCDCDC",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 15.31
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Aluminum is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #D9DAD9.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Gainsboro is better when the design needs light gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #DCDCDC.",
  "useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}

Related API

[
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aluminum-vs-gainsboro.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aluminum.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gainsboro.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "aluminum-vs-gainsboro",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Aluminum vs Gainsboro",
  "verdict": "Aluminum and Gainsboro are very close colors. Gainsboro is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Aluminum and Gainsboro are different gray colors with HEX values #D9DAD9 and #DCDCDC. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 4.7, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 4.7,
  "contrastRatio": 1.02,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "aluminum",
      "name": "Aluminum",
      "hex": "#D9DAD9",
      "rgb": [
        217,
        218,
        217
      ],
      "hsl": [
        120,
        1,
        85
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        0,
        0,
        15
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.699,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 14.98,
        "white": 1.4
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A",
          "#36454F"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A",
          "#36454F"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 14.98
      },
      "description": "Aluminum is #D9DAD9, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gainsboro, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for metallic palettes, product finishes, and premium packaging, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/aluminum/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aluminum.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "gainsboro",
      "name": "Gainsboro",
      "hex": "#DCDCDC",
      "rgb": [
        220,
        220,
        220
      ],
      "hsl": [
        0,
        0,
        86
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        0,
        0,
        14
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "light"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.7157,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 15.31,
        "white": 1.37
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A",
          "#36454F"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A",
          "#36454F"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 15.31
      },
      "description": "Gainsboro is #DCDCDC, a neutral gray color with light character. Compared with Aluminum, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/gainsboro/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gainsboro.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 4.7,
    "contrastRatio": 1.02,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 120,
      "saturation": 1,
      "lightness": 1
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0167,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [],
    "lighterColor": "Gainsboro",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Aluminum"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Aluminum",
        "background": "#D9DAD9",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 14.98
      },
      {
        "color": "Gainsboro",
        "background": "#DCDCDC",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 15.31
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Aluminum is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #D9DAD9.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Gainsboro is better when the design needs light gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #DCDCDC.",
    "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/aluminum-vs-gainsboro.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/aluminum.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gainsboro.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/aluminum-vs-gainsboro/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/aluminum-vs-gainsboro.json"
}