Nearest-color comparison
Basalt #4B4C4C vs Iron #48494B: RGB distance 4.4 and contrast 1.05:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Basalt and Iron are very close, with an RGB distance of 4.4. Basalt is lighter by 0.0054, and Iron is more saturated by 1 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.05:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Basalt and Iron across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Basalt is #4B4C4C, a neutral gray with hue 180°, saturation 1% and luminance 0.0719. Beside Iron, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 8.61:1.
gray color
Iron is #48494B, a neutral gray with hue 220°, saturation 2% and luminance 0.0665. Beside Basalt, 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 Basalt 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": "basalt",
"name": "Basalt",
"hex": "#4B4C4C",
"rgb": [
75,
76,
76
],
"hsl": [
180,
1,
30
],
"cmyk": [
1,
0,
0,
70
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.0719,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.44,
"white": 8.61
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.61
},
"description": "Basalt is #4B4C4C, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Iron, it is lighter 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/basalt/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/basalt.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 Basalt, 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": 4.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.05,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 40,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0054,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Basalt",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Iron"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.05,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Basalt",
"background": "#4B4C4C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.61
},
{
"color": "Iron",
"background": "#48494B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.01
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Basalt is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B4C4C.",
"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/basalt-vs-iron.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/basalt.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iron.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "basalt-vs-iron",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Basalt vs Iron",
"verdict": "Basalt and Iron are very close colors. Basalt is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.05:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Basalt and Iron are different gray colors with HEX values #4B4C4C and #48494B. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 4.4, their contrast ratio is 1.05:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 4.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.05,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "basalt",
"name": "Basalt",
"hex": "#4B4C4C",
"rgb": [
75,
76,
76
],
"hsl": [
180,
1,
30
],
"cmyk": [
1,
0,
0,
70
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.0719,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.44,
"white": 8.61
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.61
},
"description": "Basalt is #4B4C4C, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Iron, it is lighter 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/basalt/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/basalt.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 Basalt, 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": 4.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.05,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 40,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0054,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Basalt",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Iron"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.05,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Basalt",
"background": "#4B4C4C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.61
},
{
"color": "Iron",
"background": "#48494B",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.01
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Basalt is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B4C4C.",
"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/basalt-vs-iron.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/basalt.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/iron.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/basalt-vs-iron/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/basalt-vs-iron.json"
}