Nearest-color comparison

Graphite vs Jet

Graphite and Jet are different gray colors with HEX values #383838 and #343434. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 6.9, their contrast ratio is 1.06:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Graphite and Jet are very close colors. Graphite is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.06:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Graphite#383838
Jet#343434

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Graphite and Jet across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance6.9
Pair contrast1.06:1
Luminance delta0.0052
Hue delta0 deg
Lighter colorGraphite
More saturatedGraphite

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Graphite

Graphite is #383838, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Jet, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#383838 RGB56, 56, 56 HSL0, 0, 22 CMYK0, 0, 0, 78 Luminance0.0395 Best textwhite text

gray color

Jet

Jet is #343434, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Graphite, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#343434 RGB52, 52, 52 HSL0, 0, 20 CMYK0, 0, 0, 80 Luminance0.0343 Best textwhite text

When to Use Graphite or Jet

Choose GraphiteGraphite is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #383838.
Choose JetJet is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #343434.
Use togetherUse these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyGraphiteJet
HEX#383838#343434
RGB56, 56, 5652, 52, 52
HSL0, 0, 220, 0, 20
CMYK0, 0, 0, 780, 0, 0, 80
FamilyGrayGray
TemperatureNeutralNeutral
ToneDarkDark
Luminance0.03950.0343
Black contrast1.79:11.69:1
White contrast11.73:112.46:1
Shared tonesDark

Accessibility and Contrast

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

Graphitewhite text - 11.73:1
Jetwhite text - 12.46:1

Related Palette Strip

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

Graphite#383838
Jet#343434
#666666#666666
#616161#616161
Graphite#383838
#333333#333333

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Graphite vs Jet Data (JSON)

Structured comparison data for Graphite and Jet, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
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
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
Colors
[
  {
    "slug": "graphite",
    "name": "Graphite",
    "hex": "#383838",
    "rgb": [
      56,
      56,
      56
    ],
    "hsl": [
      0,
      0,
      22
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      0,
      0,
      78
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "dark"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.0395,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 1.79,
      "white": 11.73
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 11.73
    },
    "description": "Graphite is #383838, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Jet, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/graphite/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json"
  },
  {
    "slug": "jet",
    "name": "Jet",
    "hex": "#343434",
    "rgb": [
      52,
      52,
      52
    ],
    "hsl": [
      0,
      0,
      20
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      0,
      0,
      80
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "dark"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.0343,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 1.69,
      "white": 12.46
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 12.46
    },
    "description": "Jet is #343434, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Graphite, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/jet/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/jet.json"
  }
]
Differences
{
  "rgbDistance": 6.9,
  "contrastRatio": 1.06,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 0,
    "saturation": 0,
    "lightness": 2
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0052,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "dark"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Graphite",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Graphite"
}
Accessibility
{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.06,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Graphite",
      "background": "#383838",
      "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 11.73
    },
    {
      "color": "Jet",
      "background": "#343434",
      "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 12.46
    }
  ]
}
Use cases
{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Graphite is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #383838.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Jet is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #343434.",
  "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/graphite-vs-jet.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/jet.json"
]
Full JSON dataset
{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "graphite-vs-jet",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Graphite vs Jet",
  "verdict": "Graphite and Jet are very close colors. Graphite is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.06:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Graphite and Jet are different gray colors with HEX values #383838 and #343434. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 6.9, their contrast ratio is 1.06:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 6.9,
  "contrastRatio": 1.06,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "graphite",
      "name": "Graphite",
      "hex": "#383838",
      "rgb": [
        56,
        56,
        56
      ],
      "hsl": [
        0,
        0,
        22
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        0,
        0,
        78
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "dark"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.0395,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 1.79,
        "white": 11.73
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 11.73
      },
      "description": "Graphite is #383838, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Jet, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/graphite/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "jet",
      "name": "Jet",
      "hex": "#343434",
      "rgb": [
        52,
        52,
        52
      ],
      "hsl": [
        0,
        0,
        20
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        0,
        0,
        80
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "dark"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.0343,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 1.69,
        "white": 12.46
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 12.46
      },
      "description": "Jet is #343434, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Graphite, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/jet/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/jet.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 6.9,
    "contrastRatio": 1.06,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 0,
      "saturation": 0,
      "lightness": 2
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0052,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "dark"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Graphite",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Graphite"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.06,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Graphite",
        "background": "#383838",
        "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 11.73
      },
      {
        "color": "Jet",
        "background": "#343434",
        "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 12.46
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Graphite is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #383838.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Jet is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #343434.",
    "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/graphite-vs-jet.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/jet.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/graphite-vs-jet/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/graphite-vs-jet.json"
}