Nearest-color comparison
Burgundy #800020 vs Carmine #960018: RGB distance 23.4 and contrast 1.19:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Burgundy and Carmine are very close, with an RGB distance of 23.4. Carmine is lighter by 0.0186, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.19:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Burgundy and Carmine across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
red color
Burgundy is #800020, a warm red with hue 345°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0469. Beside Carmine, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 10.84:1.
red color
Carmine is #960018, a warm red with hue 350°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0655. Beside Burgundy, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 9.09:1.
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 Burgundy and Carmine, 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": "burgundy",
"name": "Burgundy",
"hex": "#800020",
"rgb": [
128,
0,
32
],
"hsl": [
345,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
75,
50
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0469,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.94,
"white": 10.84
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.84
},
"description": "Burgundy is #800020, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Carmine, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/burgundy/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/burgundy.json"
},
{
"slug": "carmine",
"name": "Carmine",
"hex": "#960018",
"rgb": [
150,
0,
24
],
"hsl": [
350,
100,
29
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
84,
41
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0655,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.31,
"white": 9.09
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.09
},
"description": "Carmine is #960018, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Burgundy, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/carmine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carmine.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 23.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.19,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 5,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0186,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Carmine",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Burgundy"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.19,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Burgundy",
"background": "#800020",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.84
},
{
"color": "Carmine",
"background": "#960018",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.09
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Burgundy is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #800020.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Carmine is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #960018.",
"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/burgundy-vs-carmine.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/burgundy.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carmine.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "burgundy-vs-carmine",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Burgundy vs Carmine",
"verdict": "Burgundy and Carmine are very close colors. Carmine is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.19:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Burgundy and Carmine are different red colors with HEX values #800020 and #960018. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 23.4, their contrast ratio is 1.19:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 23.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.19,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "burgundy",
"name": "Burgundy",
"hex": "#800020",
"rgb": [
128,
0,
32
],
"hsl": [
345,
100,
25
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
75,
50
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0469,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.94,
"white": 10.84
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.84
},
"description": "Burgundy is #800020, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Carmine, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/burgundy/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/burgundy.json"
},
{
"slug": "carmine",
"name": "Carmine",
"hex": "#960018",
"rgb": [
150,
0,
24
],
"hsl": [
350,
100,
29
],
"cmyk": [
0,
100,
84,
41
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0655,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.31,
"white": 9.09
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.09
},
"description": "Carmine is #960018, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Burgundy, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/carmine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carmine.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 23.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.19,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 5,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0186,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Carmine",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Burgundy"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.19,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Burgundy",
"background": "#800020",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.84
},
{
"color": "Carmine",
"background": "#960018",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 9.09
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Burgundy is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #800020.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Carmine is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #960018.",
"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/burgundy-vs-carmine.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/burgundy.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/carmine.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/burgundy-vs-carmine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/burgundy-vs-carmine.json"
}