Nearest-color comparison
Asphalt Gray #4B4B4B vs Iron #48494B: RGB distance 3.6 and contrast 1.03:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Asphalt Gray and Iron are very close, with an RGB distance of 3.6. Asphalt Gray is lighter by 0.0039, and Iron is more saturated by 2 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.03:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Asphalt Gray and Iron across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Asphalt Gray is #4B4B4B, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.0704. Beside Iron, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 8.72:1.
gray color
Iron is #48494B, a neutral gray with hue 220°, saturation 2% and luminance 0.0665. Beside Asphalt Gray, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 9.01:1.
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 Asphalt Gray and Iron, 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": "asphalt-gray",
"name": "Asphalt Gray",
"hex": "#4B4B4B",
"rgb": [
75,
75,
75
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
29
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
71
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.0704,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.41,
"white": 8.72
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.72
},
"description": "Asphalt Gray is #4B4B4B, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Iron, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/asphalt-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/asphalt-gray.json"
},
{
"slug": "iron",
"name": "Iron",
"hex": "#48494B",
"rgb": [
72,
73,
75
],
"hsl": [
220,
2,
29
],
"cmyk": [
4,
3,
0,
71
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.0665,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.33,
"white": 9.01
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.01
},
"description": "Iron is #48494B, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Asphalt Gray, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for metallic palettes, product finishes, and premium packaging, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/iron/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iron.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 3.6,
"contrastRatio": 1.03,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 220,
"saturation": 2,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0039,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Asphalt Gray",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Iron"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.03,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Asphalt Gray",
"background": "#4B4B4B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.72
},
{
"color": "Iron",
"background": "#48494B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.01
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Asphalt Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B4B4B.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Iron is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #48494B.",
"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/asphalt-gray-vs-iron.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/asphalt-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iron.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "asphalt-gray-vs-iron",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Asphalt Gray vs Iron",
"verdict": "Asphalt Gray and Iron are very close colors. Asphalt Gray is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.03:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Asphalt Gray and Iron are different gray colors with HEX values #4B4B4B and #48494B. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 3.6, their contrast ratio is 1.03:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 3.6,
"contrastRatio": 1.03,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "asphalt-gray",
"name": "Asphalt Gray",
"hex": "#4B4B4B",
"rgb": [
75,
75,
75
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
29
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
71
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.0704,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.41,
"white": 8.72
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.72
},
"description": "Asphalt Gray is #4B4B4B, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Iron, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/asphalt-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/asphalt-gray.json"
},
{
"slug": "iron",
"name": "Iron",
"hex": "#48494B",
"rgb": [
72,
73,
75
],
"hsl": [
220,
2,
29
],
"cmyk": [
4,
3,
0,
71
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.0665,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.33,
"white": 9.01
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.01
},
"description": "Iron is #48494B, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Asphalt Gray, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for metallic palettes, product finishes, and premium packaging, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/iron/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iron.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 3.6,
"contrastRatio": 1.03,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 220,
"saturation": 2,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0039,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Asphalt Gray",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Iron"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.03,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Asphalt Gray",
"background": "#4B4B4B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.72
},
{
"color": "Iron",
"background": "#48494B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.01
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Asphalt Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B4B4B.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Iron is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #48494B.",
"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/asphalt-gray-vs-iron.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/asphalt-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iron.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/asphalt-gray-vs-iron/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/asphalt-gray-vs-iron.json"
}