Nearest-color comparison

Graphite vs Onyx

Graphite #383838 vs Onyx #353839: RGB distance 3.2 and contrast 1.01:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.

Graphite and Onyx are very close, with an RGB distance of 3.2. Graphite is lighter by 0.0007, and Onyx is more saturated by 4 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.01:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Graphite#383838

Onyx#353839

Quick Difference Summary

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

RGB distance3.2

Pair contrast1.01:1

Luminance delta0.0007

Hue delta195 deg

Lighter colorGraphite

More saturatedOnyx

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Graphite

Graphite is #383838, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.0395. Beside Onyx, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 11.73:1.

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

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

gray color

Onyx

Onyx is #353839, a neutral gray with hue 195°, saturation 4% and luminance 0.0388. Beside Graphite, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 11.82:1.

HEX#353839 RGB53, 56, 57 HSL195, 4, 22 CMYK7, 2, 0, 78 Luminance0.0388 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Graphite or Onyx

Choose GraphiteChoose Graphite when the design calls for dark gray color at #383838, with neutral temperature and 22% HSL lightness.

Choose OnyxChoose Onyx when #353839, its dark gray character, or its 22% HSL lightness is the closer match.

Use togetherTreat them as tonal alternatives or adjacent palette steps, not as text and background. Their contrast is only 1.01:1. They share dark tone characteristics.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyGraphiteOnyx

HEX#383838#353839

RGB56, 56, 5653, 56, 57

HSL0, 0, 22195, 4, 22

CMYK0, 0, 0, 787, 2, 0, 78

FamilyGrayGray

TemperatureNeutralNeutral

ToneDarkDark

Luminance0.03950.0388

Black contrast1.79:11.78:1

White contrast11.73:111.82:1

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

Onyxwhite text - 11.82:1

Downloadable color comparison infographic

Graphite vs Onyx Color Comparison Infographic

Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.

1200 × 800

Graphite vs Onyx color comparison infographic showing both HEX colors, RGB and HSL values, color distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance. — Graphite vs Onyx color comparison infographic generated from the canonical dataset values shown on this page.

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Related Palette Strip

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

Graphite#383838

Onyx#353839

#666666#666666

#62686A#62686A

Graphite#383838

#3A3736#3A3736

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

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 Onyx, it is lighter and less saturated. 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": "onyx",
    "name": "Onyx",
    "hex": "#353839",
    "rgb": [
      53,
      56,
      57
    ],
    "hsl": [
      195,
      4,
      22
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      7,
      2,
      0,
      78
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "dark"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.0388,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 1.78,
      "white": 11.82
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#FFFFFF",
        "#F5F5F5"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 11.82
    },
    "description": "Onyx is #353839, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Graphite, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/onyx/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/onyx.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 3.2,
  "contrastRatio": 1.01,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 195,
    "saturation": 4,
    "lightness": 0
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0007,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "dark"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Graphite",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Onyx"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.01,
  "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": "Onyx",
      "background": "#353839",
      "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
      "label": "white text",
      "ratio": 11.82
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Graphite is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #383838.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Onyx is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #353839.",
  "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-onyx.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/onyx.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "graphite-vs-onyx",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Graphite vs Onyx",
  "verdict": "Graphite and Onyx are very close colors. Graphite is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.01:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Graphite and Onyx are different gray colors with HEX values #383838 and #353839. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 3.2, their contrast ratio is 1.01:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 3.2,
  "contrastRatio": 1.01,
  "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 Onyx, it is lighter and less saturated. 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": "onyx",
      "name": "Onyx",
      "hex": "#353839",
      "rgb": [
        53,
        56,
        57
      ],
      "hsl": [
        195,
        4,
        22
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        7,
        2,
        0,
        78
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "dark"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.0388,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 1.78,
        "white": 11.82
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#FFFFFF",
          "#F5F5F5"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 11.82
      },
      "description": "Onyx is #353839, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Graphite, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/onyx/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/onyx.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 3.2,
    "contrastRatio": 1.01,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 195,
      "saturation": 4,
      "lightness": 0
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0007,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "dark"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Graphite",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Onyx"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.01,
    "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": "Onyx",
        "background": "#353839",
        "foreground": "#FFFFFF",
        "label": "white text",
        "ratio": 11.82
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Graphite is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #383838.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Onyx is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #353839.",
    "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-onyx.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/onyx.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/graphite-vs-onyx/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/graphite-vs-onyx.json"
}