Nearest-color comparison
Barn Red #7C0A02 vs Dark Red #8B0000: RGB distance 18.1 and contrast 1.1:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Barn Red and Dark Red are very close, with an RGB distance of 18.1. Dark Red is lighter by 0.0098, and Dark Red is more saturated by 3 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 Barn Red and Dark Red across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
red color
Barn Red is #7C0A02, a warm red with hue 4°, saturation 97% and luminance 0.0451. Beside Dark Red, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 11.04:1.
red color
Dark Red is #8B0000, a warm red with hue 0°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0549. Beside Barn Red, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 10.01:1.
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 Barn Red and Dark Red, 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": "barn-red",
"name": "Barn Red",
"hex": "#7C0A02",
"rgb": [
124,
10,
2
],
"hsl": [
4,
97,
25
],
"cmyk": [
0,
92,
98,
51
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0451,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.9,
"white": 11.04
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.04
},
"description": "Barn Red is #7C0A02, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Dark Red, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/barn-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/barn-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "dark-red",
"name": "Dark Red",
"hex": "#8B0000",
"rgb": [
139,
0,
0
],
"hsl": [
0,
100,
27
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
100,
45
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0549,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.1,
"white": 10.01
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.01
},
"description": "Dark Red is #8B0000, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Barn Red, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-red.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 18.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 4,
"saturation": 3,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0098,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Dark Red",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Red"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.1,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Barn Red",
"background": "#7C0A02",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.04
},
{
"color": "Dark Red",
"background": "#8B0000",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.01
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Barn Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #7C0A02.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #8B0000.",
"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/barn-red-vs-dark-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/barn-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-red.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "barn-red-vs-dark-red",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Barn Red vs Dark Red",
"verdict": "Barn Red and Dark Red are very close colors. Dark Red 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": "Barn Red and Dark Red are different red colors with HEX values #7C0A02 and #8B0000. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 18.1, their contrast ratio is 1.1:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 18.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "barn-red",
"name": "Barn Red",
"hex": "#7C0A02",
"rgb": [
124,
10,
2
],
"hsl": [
4,
97,
25
],
"cmyk": [
0,
92,
98,
51
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0451,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.9,
"white": 11.04
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.04
},
"description": "Barn Red is #7C0A02, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Dark Red, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/barn-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/barn-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "dark-red",
"name": "Dark Red",
"hex": "#8B0000",
"rgb": [
139,
0,
0
],
"hsl": [
0,
100,
27
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
100,
45
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0549,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.1,
"white": 10.01
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.01
},
"description": "Dark Red is #8B0000, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Barn Red, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-red.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 18.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 4,
"saturation": 3,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0098,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Dark Red",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Red"
},
"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": "Barn Red",
"background": "#7C0A02",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.04
},
{
"color": "Dark Red",
"background": "#8B0000",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.01
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Barn Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #7C0A02.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #8B0000.",
"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/barn-red-vs-dark-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/barn-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-red.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/barn-red-vs-dark-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/barn-red-vs-dark-red.json"
}