Nearest-color comparison
Cool Gray #8C92AC vs Tourmaline #86A1A9: RGB distance 16.4 and contrast 1.13:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Cool Gray and Tourmaline are very close, with an RGB distance of 16.4. Tourmaline is lighter by 0.0431, and Tourmaline is more saturated by 1 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.13:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Cool Gray and Tourmaline across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Cool Gray is #8C92AC, a cool blue with hue 229°, saturation 16% and luminance 0.2911. Beside Tourmaline, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 6.82:1.
cyan color
Tourmaline is #86A1A9, a cool cyan with hue 194°, saturation 17% and luminance 0.3342. Beside Cool Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 7.68:1.
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 Cool Gray and Tourmaline, 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": "cool-gray",
"name": "Cool Gray",
"hex": "#8C92AC",
"rgb": [
140,
146,
172
],
"hsl": [
229,
16,
61
],
"cmyk": [
19,
15,
0,
33
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2911,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.82,
"white": 3.08
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.82
},
"description": "Cool Gray is #8C92AC, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Tourmaline, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cool-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cool-gray.json"
},
{
"slug": "tourmaline",
"name": "Tourmaline",
"hex": "#86A1A9",
"rgb": [
134,
161,
169
],
"hsl": [
194,
17,
59
],
"cmyk": [
21,
5,
0,
34
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.3342,
"contrast": {
"black": 7.68,
"white": 2.73
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 7.68
},
"description": "Tourmaline is #86A1A9, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Cool Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for jewel-tone palettes, luxury branding, and premium interface accents, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tourmaline/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tourmaline.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 16.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.13,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 35,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0431,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Tourmaline",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Tourmaline"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.13,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Cool Gray",
"background": "#8C92AC",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.82
},
{
"color": "Tourmaline",
"background": "#86A1A9",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 7.68
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Cool Gray is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #8C92AC.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Tourmaline is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #86A1A9.",
"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/cool-gray-vs-tourmaline.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cool-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tourmaline.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "cool-gray-vs-tourmaline",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Cool Gray vs Tourmaline",
"verdict": "Cool Gray and Tourmaline are very close colors. Tourmaline is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.13:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Cool Gray and Tourmaline are different blue and cyan colors with HEX values #8C92AC and #86A1A9. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 16.4, their contrast ratio is 1.13:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 16.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.13,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "cool-gray",
"name": "Cool Gray",
"hex": "#8C92AC",
"rgb": [
140,
146,
172
],
"hsl": [
229,
16,
61
],
"cmyk": [
19,
15,
0,
33
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2911,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.82,
"white": 3.08
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.82
},
"description": "Cool Gray is #8C92AC, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Tourmaline, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cool-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cool-gray.json"
},
{
"slug": "tourmaline",
"name": "Tourmaline",
"hex": "#86A1A9",
"rgb": [
134,
161,
169
],
"hsl": [
194,
17,
59
],
"cmyk": [
21,
5,
0,
34
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.3342,
"contrast": {
"black": 7.68,
"white": 2.73
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 7.68
},
"description": "Tourmaline is #86A1A9, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Cool Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for jewel-tone palettes, luxury branding, and premium interface accents, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tourmaline/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tourmaline.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 16.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.13,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 35,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0431,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Tourmaline",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Tourmaline"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.13,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Cool Gray",
"background": "#8C92AC",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.82
},
{
"color": "Tourmaline",
"background": "#86A1A9",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 7.68
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Cool Gray is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #8C92AC.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Tourmaline is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #86A1A9.",
"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/cool-gray-vs-tourmaline.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cool-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tourmaline.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/cool-gray-vs-tourmaline/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/cool-gray-vs-tourmaline.json"
}