Nearest-color comparison

Cadmium Orange vs Marigold

Cadmium Orange and Marigold are different orange colors with HEX values #ED872D and #EAA221. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 29.7, their contrast ratio is 1.2:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Cadmium Orange and Marigold are visually related colors. Marigold is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.2:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Cadmium Orange#ED872D

Marigold#EAA221

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Cadmium Orange and Marigold across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance29.7

Pair contrast1.2:1

Luminance delta0.0792

Hue delta11 deg

Lighter colorMarigold

More saturatedCadmium Orange

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

orange color

Cadmium Orange

Cadmium Orange is #ED872D, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Marigold, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#ED872D RGB237, 135, 45 HSL28, 84, 55 CMYK0, 43, 81, 7 Luminance0.3552 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

orange color

Marigold

Marigold is #EAA221, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Cadmium Orange, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for highlight colors, editorial accents, and warm backgrounds, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#EAA221 RGB234, 162, 33 HSL39, 83, 52 CMYK0, 31, 86, 8 Luminance0.4344 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Cadmium Orange or Marigold

Choose Cadmium OrangeCadmium Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #ED872D.

Choose MarigoldMarigold is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #EAA221.

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

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyCadmium OrangeMarigold

HEX#ED872D#EAA221

RGB237, 135, 45234, 162, 33

HSL28, 84, 5539, 83, 52

CMYK0, 43, 81, 70, 31, 86, 8

FamilyOrangeOrange

TemperatureWarmWarm

ToneVibrantVibrant

Luminance0.35520.4344

Black contrast8.1:19.69:1

White contrast2.59:12.17:1

Shared tonesVibrant

Accessibility and Contrast

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

Cadmium Orangeblack text - 8.1:1

Marigoldblack text - 9.69:1

Related Palette Strip

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

Cadmium Orange#ED872D

Marigold#EAA221

#F4B680#F4B680

#F2C673#F2C673

#2C93ED#2C93ED

#1F66EA#1F66EA

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": "cadmium-orange",
    "name": "Cadmium Orange",
    "hex": "#ED872D",
    "rgb": [
      237,
      135,
      45
    ],
    "hsl": [
      28,
      84,
      55
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      43,
      81,
      7
    ],
    "family": "orange",
    "temperature": "warm",
    "tone": [
      "vibrant"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.3552,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 8.1,
      "white": 2.59
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#000000"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 8.1
    },
    "description": "Cadmium Orange is #ED872D, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Marigold, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cadmium-orange/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadmium-orange.json"
  },
  {
    "slug": "marigold",
    "name": "Marigold",
    "hex": "#EAA221",
    "rgb": [
      234,
      162,
      33
    ],
    "hsl": [
      39,
      83,
      52
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      31,
      86,
      8
    ],
    "family": "orange",
    "temperature": "warm",
    "tone": [
      "vibrant"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.4344,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 9.69,
      "white": 2.17
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A",
        "#36454F"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 9.69
    },
    "description": "Marigold is #EAA221, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Cadmium Orange, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for highlight colors, editorial accents, and warm backgrounds, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/marigold/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 29.7,
  "contrastRatio": 1.2,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 11,
    "saturation": 1,
    "lightness": 3
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0792,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "vibrant"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Marigold",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Cadmium Orange"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.2,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Cadmium Orange",
      "background": "#ED872D",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 8.1
    },
    {
      "color": "Marigold",
      "background": "#EAA221",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 9.69
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Cadmium Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #ED872D.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Marigold is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #EAA221.",
  "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/cadmium-orange-vs-marigold.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadmium-orange.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "cadmium-orange-vs-marigold",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Cadmium Orange vs Marigold",
  "verdict": "Cadmium Orange and Marigold are visually related colors. Marigold is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.2:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Cadmium Orange and Marigold are different orange colors with HEX values #ED872D and #EAA221. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 29.7, their contrast ratio is 1.2:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 29.7,
  "contrastRatio": 1.2,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "cadmium-orange",
      "name": "Cadmium Orange",
      "hex": "#ED872D",
      "rgb": [
        237,
        135,
        45
      ],
      "hsl": [
        28,
        84,
        55
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        43,
        81,
        7
      ],
      "family": "orange",
      "temperature": "warm",
      "tone": [
        "vibrant"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.3552,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 8.1,
        "white": 2.59
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#000000"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 8.1
      },
      "description": "Cadmium Orange is #ED872D, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Marigold, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cadmium-orange/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadmium-orange.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "marigold",
      "name": "Marigold",
      "hex": "#EAA221",
      "rgb": [
        234,
        162,
        33
      ],
      "hsl": [
        39,
        83,
        52
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        31,
        86,
        8
      ],
      "family": "orange",
      "temperature": "warm",
      "tone": [
        "vibrant"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.4344,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 9.69,
        "white": 2.17
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A",
          "#36454F"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 9.69
      },
      "description": "Marigold is #EAA221, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Cadmium Orange, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for highlight colors, editorial accents, and warm backgrounds, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/marigold/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 29.7,
    "contrastRatio": 1.2,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 11,
      "saturation": 1,
      "lightness": 3
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0792,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "vibrant"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Marigold",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Cadmium Orange"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.2,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Cadmium Orange",
        "background": "#ED872D",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 8.1
      },
      {
        "color": "Marigold",
        "background": "#EAA221",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 9.69
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Cadmium Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #ED872D.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Marigold is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #EAA221.",
    "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/cadmium-orange-vs-marigold.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadmium-orange.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/marigold.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/cadmium-orange-vs-marigold/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/cadmium-orange-vs-marigold.json"
}