Nearest-color comparison
Dark Orange #FF8C00 vs Tangerine #F28500: RGB distance 14.8 and contrast 1.11:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Dark Orange and Tangerine are very close, with an RGB distance of 14.8. Dark Orange is lighter by 0.0437, and their saturation is equal. 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 Dark Orange and Tangerine across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
orange color
Dark Orange is #FF8C00, a warm orange with hue 33°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.4002. Beside Tangerine, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 9:1.
orange color
Tangerine is #F28500, a warm orange with hue 33°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.3565. Beside Dark Orange, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 8.13:1.
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 Dark Orange and Tangerine, 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": "dark-orange",
"name": "Dark Orange",
"hex": "#FF8C00",
"rgb": [
255,
140,
0
],
"hsl": [
33,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
45,
100,
0
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4002,
"contrast": {
"black": 9,
"white": 2.33
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
},
"description": "Dark Orange is #FF8C00, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Tangerine, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-orange/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json"
},
{
"slug": "tangerine",
"name": "Tangerine",
"hex": "#F28500",
"rgb": [
242,
133,
0
],
"hsl": [
33,
100,
47
],
"cmyk": [
0,
45,
100,
5
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.3565,
"contrast": {
"black": 8.13,
"white": 2.58
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.13
},
"description": "Tangerine is #F28500, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Dark Orange, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for warm accents, food branding, and interior palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tangerine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tangerine.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 14.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.11,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0437,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Dark Orange",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Orange"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.11,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Dark Orange",
"background": "#FF8C00",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
},
{
"color": "Tangerine",
"background": "#F28500",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.13
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Dark Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF8C00.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Tangerine is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F28500.",
"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/dark-orange-vs-tangerine.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tangerine.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "dark-orange-vs-tangerine",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Dark Orange vs Tangerine",
"verdict": "Dark Orange and Tangerine are very close colors. Dark Orange 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": "Dark Orange and Tangerine are different orange colors with HEX values #FF8C00 and #F28500. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 14.8, their contrast ratio is 1.11:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 14.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.11,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "dark-orange",
"name": "Dark Orange",
"hex": "#FF8C00",
"rgb": [
255,
140,
0
],
"hsl": [
33,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
45,
100,
0
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4002,
"contrast": {
"black": 9,
"white": 2.33
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
},
"description": "Dark Orange is #FF8C00, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Tangerine, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/dark-orange/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json"
},
{
"slug": "tangerine",
"name": "Tangerine",
"hex": "#F28500",
"rgb": [
242,
133,
0
],
"hsl": [
33,
100,
47
],
"cmyk": [
0,
45,
100,
5
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.3565,
"contrast": {
"black": 8.13,
"white": 2.58
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.13
},
"description": "Tangerine is #F28500, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Dark Orange, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for warm accents, food branding, and interior palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tangerine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tangerine.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 14.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.11,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0437,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Dark Orange",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Dark Orange"
},
"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": "Dark Orange",
"background": "#FF8C00",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
},
{
"color": "Tangerine",
"background": "#F28500",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.13
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Dark Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF8C00.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Tangerine is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #F28500.",
"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/dark-orange-vs-tangerine.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tangerine.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/dark-orange-vs-tangerine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/dark-orange-vs-tangerine.json"
}