Nearest-color comparison

Basalt vs Iron

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.

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.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Basalt#4B4C4C

Iron#48494B

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Basalt and Iron across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance4.4

Pair contrast1.05:1

Luminance delta0.0054

Hue delta40 deg

Lighter colorBasalt

More saturatedIron

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Basalt

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.

HEX#4B4C4C RGB75, 76, 76 HSL180, 1, 30 CMYK1, 0, 0, 70 Luminance0.0719 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

gray color

Iron

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.

HEX#48494B RGB72, 73, 75 HSL220, 2, 29 CMYK4, 3, 0, 71 Luminance0.0665 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Basalt or Iron

Choose BasaltBasalt is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #4B4C4C.

Choose IronIron is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #48494B.

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

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyBasaltIron

HEX#4B4C4C#48494B

RGB75, 76, 7672, 73, 75

HSL180, 1, 30220, 2, 29

CMYK1, 0, 0, 704, 3, 0, 71

FamilyGrayGray

TemperatureNeutralNeutral

ToneMutedMuted

Luminance0.07190.0665

Black contrast2.44:12.33:1

White contrast8.61:19.01:1

Shared tonesMuted

Accessibility and Contrast

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

Basaltwhite text - 8.61:1

Ironwhite text - 9.01:1

Related Palette Strip

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

Basalt#4B4C4C

Iron#48494B

#797C7C#797C7C

#75777A#75777A

#4D4C4C#4D4C4C

#4B4A48#4B4A48

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": "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
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "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."
}

Related API

[
  "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"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "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"
}