Nearest-color comparison
Crimson #DC143C vs Poppy Red #DC343B: RGB distance 32 and contrast 1.09:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Crimson and Poppy Red are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 32. Poppy Red is lighter by 0.0195, and Crimson is more saturated by 12 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.09:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Crimson and Poppy Red across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
red color
Crimson is #DC143C, a warm red with hue 348°, saturation 83% and luminance 0.1604. Beside Poppy Red, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 4.99:1.
red color
Poppy Red is #DC343B, a warm red with hue 358°, saturation 71% and luminance 0.1799. Beside Crimson, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 4.6:1.
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 Crimson and Poppy Red, 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": "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 Poppy Red, it is darker 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/crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
},
{
"slug": "poppy-red",
"name": "Poppy Red",
"hex": "#DC343B",
"rgb": [
220,
52,
59
],
"hsl": [
358,
71,
53
],
"cmyk": [
0,
76,
73,
14
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.1799,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.6,
"white": 4.57
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#FFFFFF"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.6
},
"description": "Poppy Red is #DC343B, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Crimson, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for botanical palettes, natural product design, and seasonal editorial palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/poppy-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/poppy-red.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 32,
"contrastRatio": 1.09,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 10,
"saturation": 12,
"lightness": 6
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0195,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Poppy Red",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Crimson"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.09,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Crimson",
"background": "#DC143C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
},
{
"color": "Poppy Red",
"background": "#DC343B",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.6
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Crimson is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC143C.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Poppy Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC343B.",
"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/crimson-vs-poppy-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/poppy-red.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "crimson-vs-poppy-red",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Crimson vs Poppy Red",
"verdict": "Crimson and Poppy Red are visually related colors. Poppy Red is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.09:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Crimson and Poppy Red are different red colors with HEX values #DC143C and #DC343B. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 32, their contrast ratio is 1.09:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 32,
"contrastRatio": 1.09,
"colors": [
{
"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 Poppy Red, it is darker 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/crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
},
{
"slug": "poppy-red",
"name": "Poppy Red",
"hex": "#DC343B",
"rgb": [
220,
52,
59
],
"hsl": [
358,
71,
53
],
"cmyk": [
0,
76,
73,
14
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.1799,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.6,
"white": 4.57
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#FFFFFF"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.6
},
"description": "Poppy Red is #DC343B, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Crimson, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for botanical palettes, natural product design, and seasonal editorial palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/poppy-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/poppy-red.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 32,
"contrastRatio": 1.09,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 10,
"saturation": 12,
"lightness": 6
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0195,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Poppy Red",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Crimson"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.09,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Crimson",
"background": "#DC143C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
},
{
"color": "Poppy Red",
"background": "#DC343B",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.6
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Crimson is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC143C.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Poppy Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC343B.",
"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/crimson-vs-poppy-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/poppy-red.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/crimson-vs-poppy-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/crimson-vs-poppy-red.json"
}