Nearest-color comparison
Cherry Red #D2042D vs Crimson #DC143C: RGB distance 24.1 and contrast 1.11:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Cherry Red and Crimson are very close, with an RGB distance of 24.1. Crimson is lighter by 0.0206, and Cherry Red is more saturated by 13 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.11:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Cherry Red and Crimson across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
red color
Cherry Red is #D2042D, a warm red with hue 348°, saturation 96% and luminance 0.1398. Beside Crimson, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.53:1.
red color
Crimson is #DC143C, a warm red with hue 348°, saturation 83% and luminance 0.1604. Beside Cherry Red, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 4.99:1.
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 Cherry Red and Crimson, 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": "cherry-red",
"name": "Cherry Red",
"hex": "#D2042D",
"rgb": [
210,
4,
45
],
"hsl": [
348,
96,
42
],
"cmyk": [
0,
98,
79,
18
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1398,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.8,
"white": 5.53
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.53
},
"description": "Cherry Red is #D2042D, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Crimson, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cherry-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cherry-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "crimson",
"name": "Crimson",
"hex": "#DC143C",
"rgb": [
220,
20,
60
],
"hsl": [
348,
83,
47
],
"cmyk": [
0,
91,
73,
14
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1604,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.21,
"white": 4.99
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
},
"description": "Crimson is #DC143C, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Cherry Red, it is lighter and less 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/crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 24.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.11,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 13,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0206,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Crimson",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Cherry Red"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.11,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Cherry Red",
"background": "#D2042D",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.53
},
{
"color": "Crimson",
"background": "#DC143C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Cherry Red is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #D2042D.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Crimson is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC143C.",
"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/cherry-red-vs-crimson.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cherry-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "cherry-red-vs-crimson",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Cherry Red vs Crimson",
"verdict": "Cherry Red and Crimson are very close colors. Crimson 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": "Cherry Red and Crimson are different red colors with HEX values #D2042D and #DC143C. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 24.1, their contrast ratio is 1.11:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 24.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.11,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "cherry-red",
"name": "Cherry Red",
"hex": "#D2042D",
"rgb": [
210,
4,
45
],
"hsl": [
348,
96,
42
],
"cmyk": [
0,
98,
79,
18
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1398,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.8,
"white": 5.53
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.53
},
"description": "Cherry Red is #D2042D, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Crimson, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cherry-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cherry-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "crimson",
"name": "Crimson",
"hex": "#DC143C",
"rgb": [
220,
20,
60
],
"hsl": [
348,
83,
47
],
"cmyk": [
0,
91,
73,
14
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1604,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.21,
"white": 4.99
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
},
"description": "Crimson is #DC143C, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Cherry Red, it is lighter and less 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/crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 24.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.11,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 13,
"lightness": 5
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0206,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Crimson",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Cherry Red"
},
"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": "Cherry Red",
"background": "#D2042D",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.53
},
{
"color": "Crimson",
"background": "#DC143C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Cherry Red is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #D2042D.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Crimson is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC143C.",
"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/cherry-red-vs-crimson.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cherry-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/cherry-red-vs-crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/cherry-red-vs-crimson.json"
}