Nearest-color comparison

Charcoal vs Dark Slate Gray

Charcoal and Dark Slate Gray are different gray and cyan colors with HEX values #36454F and #2F4F4F. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 12.2, their contrast ratio is 1.11:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Charcoal and Dark Slate Gray are very close colors. Dark Slate Gray is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.11:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Charcoal#36454F

Dark Slate Gray#2F4F4F

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Charcoal and Dark Slate Gray across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance12.2

Pair contrast1.11:1

Luminance delta0.0115

Hue delta24 deg

Lighter colorDark Slate Gray

More saturatedDark Slate Gray

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Charcoal

Charcoal is #36454F, a cool gray color with dark and neutral character. Compared with Dark Slate Gray, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for text, ui surfaces, and minimal branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#36454F RGB54, 69, 79 HSL204, 19, 26 CMYK32, 13, 0, 69 Luminance0.0561 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

cyan color

Dark Slate Gray

Dark Slate Gray is #2F4F4F, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Charcoal, 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.

HEX#2F4F4F RGB47, 79, 79 HSL180, 25, 25 CMYK41, 0, 0, 69 Luminance0.0676 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Charcoal or Dark Slate Gray

Choose CharcoalCharcoal is better when the design needs dark and neutral gray character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #36454F.

Choose Dark Slate GrayDark Slate Gray is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #2F4F4F.

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

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyCharcoalDark Slate Gray

HEX#36454F#2F4F4F

RGB54, 69, 7947, 79, 79

HSL204, 19, 26180, 25, 25

CMYK32, 13, 0, 6941, 0, 0, 69

FamilyGrayCyan

TemperatureCoolCool

ToneDark, NeutralMuted

Luminance0.05610.0676

Black contrast2.12:12.35:1

White contrast9.9:18.93:1

Shared tonesNone

Accessibility and Contrast

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

Charcoalwhite text - 9.9:1

Dark Slate Graywhite text - 8.93:1

Related Palette Strip

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

Charcoal#36454F

Dark Slate Grey#2F4F4F

#5B7486#5B7486

#528989#528989

#4F4036#4F4036

#503030#503030

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": "charcoal",
    "name": "Charcoal",
    "hex": "#36454F",
    "rgb": [
      54,
      69,
      79
    ],
    "hsl": [
      204,
      19,
      26
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      32,
      13,
      0,
      69
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "cool",
    "tone": [
      "dark",
      "neutral"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.0561,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 2.12,
      "white": 9.9
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 9.9
    },
    "description": "Charcoal is #36454F, a cool gray color with dark and neutral character. Compared with Dark Slate Gray, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for text, ui surfaces, and minimal branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/charcoal/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/charcoal.json"
  },
  {
    "slug": "dark-slate-gray",
    "name": "Dark Slate Gray",
    "hex": "#2F4F4F",
    "rgb": [
      47,
      79,
      79
    ],
    "hsl": [
      180,
      25,
      25
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      41,
      0,
      0,
      69
    ],
    "family": "cyan",
    "temperature": "cool",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.0676,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 2.35,
      "white": 8.93
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 8.93
    },
    "description": "Dark Slate Gray is #2F4F4F, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Charcoal, 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-slate-gray/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-slate-gray.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 12.2,
  "contrastRatio": 1.11,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 24,
    "saturation": 6,
    "lightness": 1
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0115,
  "sameFamily": false,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [],
  "lighterColor": "Dark Slate Gray",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Slate Gray"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.11,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Charcoal",
      "background": "#36454F",
      "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 9.9
    },
    {
      "color": "Dark Slate Gray",
      "background": "#2F4F4F",
      "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 8.93
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Charcoal is better when the design needs dark and neutral gray character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #36454F.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Slate Gray is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #2F4F4F.",
  "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/charcoal-vs-dark-slate-gray.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/charcoal.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-slate-gray.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "charcoal-vs-dark-slate-gray",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Charcoal vs Dark Slate Gray",
  "verdict": "Charcoal and Dark Slate Gray are very close colors. Dark Slate Gray is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.11:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Charcoal and Dark Slate Gray are different gray and cyan colors with HEX values #36454F and #2F4F4F. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 12.2, their contrast ratio is 1.11:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 12.2,
  "contrastRatio": 1.11,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "charcoal",
      "name": "Charcoal",
      "hex": "#36454F",
      "rgb": [
        54,
        69,
        79
      ],
      "hsl": [
        204,
        19,
        26
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        32,
        13,
        0,
        69
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "cool",
      "tone": [
        "dark",
        "neutral"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.0561,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 2.12,
        "white": 9.9
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 9.9
      },
      "description": "Charcoal is #36454F, a cool gray color with dark and neutral character. Compared with Dark Slate Gray, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for text, ui surfaces, and minimal branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/charcoal/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/charcoal.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "dark-slate-gray",
      "name": "Dark Slate Gray",
      "hex": "#2F4F4F",
      "rgb": [
        47,
        79,
        79
      ],
      "hsl": [
        180,
        25,
        25
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        41,
        0,
        0,
        69
      ],
      "family": "cyan",
      "temperature": "cool",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.0676,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 2.35,
        "white": 8.93
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 8.93
      },
      "description": "Dark Slate Gray is #2F4F4F, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Charcoal, 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-slate-gray/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-slate-gray.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 12.2,
    "contrastRatio": 1.11,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 24,
      "saturation": 6,
      "lightness": 1
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0115,
    "sameFamily": false,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [],
    "lighterColor": "Dark Slate Gray",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Slate Gray"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.11,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Charcoal",
        "background": "#36454F",
        "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 9.9
      },
      {
        "color": "Dark Slate Gray",
        "background": "#2F4F4F",
        "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 8.93
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Charcoal is better when the design needs dark and neutral gray character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #36454F.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Slate Gray is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #2F4F4F.",
    "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/charcoal-vs-dark-slate-gray.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/charcoal.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-slate-gray.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/charcoal-vs-dark-slate-gray/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/charcoal-vs-dark-slate-gray.json"
}