Nearest-color comparison
Aluminum #D9DAD9 vs Gainsboro #DCDCDC: RGB distance 4.7 and contrast 1.02:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Aluminum and Gainsboro are very close, with an RGB distance of 4.7. Gainsboro is lighter by 0.0167, and Aluminum is more saturated by 1 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Aluminum and Gainsboro across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Aluminum is #D9DAD9, a neutral gray with hue 120°, saturation 1% and luminance 0.699. Beside Gainsboro, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 14.98:1.
gray color
Gainsboro is #DCDCDC, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.7157. Beside Aluminum, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 15.31:1.
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 Aluminum and Gainsboro, 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": "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"
}
]{
"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"
}{
"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
}
]
}{
"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."
}[
"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"
]{
"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"
}