Nearest-color comparison
Gray #808080 vs Zinc #7D7F7C: RGB distance 5.1 and contrast 1.02:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Gray and Zinc are very close, with an RGB distance of 5.1. Gray is lighter by 0.006, and Zinc is more saturated by 1 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Gray and Zinc across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Gray is #808080, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.2159. Beside Zinc, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.32:1.
gray color
Zinc is #7D7F7C, a neutral gray with hue 100°, saturation 1% and luminance 0.2099. Beside Gray, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.2:1.
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 Gray and Zinc, 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": "gray",
"name": "Gray",
"hex": "#808080",
"rgb": [
128,
128,
128
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
50
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2159,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.32,
"white": 3.95
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.32
},
"description": "Gray is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Zinc, it is lighter and less saturated. 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/gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json"
},
{
"slug": "zinc",
"name": "Zinc",
"hex": "#7D7F7C",
"rgb": [
125,
127,
124
],
"hsl": [
100,
1,
49
],
"cmyk": [
2,
0,
2,
50
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2099,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.2,
"white": 4.04
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.2
},
"description": "Zinc is #7D7F7C, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gray, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/zinc/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zinc.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 5.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 100,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.006,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Gray",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Zinc"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Gray",
"background": "#808080",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.32
},
{
"color": "Zinc",
"background": "#7D7F7C",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.2
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Zinc is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #7D7F7C.",
"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/gray-vs-zinc.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zinc.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "gray-vs-zinc",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Gray vs Zinc",
"verdict": "Gray and Zinc are very close colors. Gray is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Gray and Zinc are different gray colors with HEX values #808080 and #7D7F7C. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 5.1, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 5.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "gray",
"name": "Gray",
"hex": "#808080",
"rgb": [
128,
128,
128
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
50
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2159,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.32,
"white": 3.95
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.32
},
"description": "Gray is #808080, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Zinc, it is lighter and less saturated. 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/gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json"
},
{
"slug": "zinc",
"name": "Zinc",
"hex": "#7D7F7C",
"rgb": [
125,
127,
124
],
"hsl": [
100,
1,
49
],
"cmyk": [
2,
0,
2,
50
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2099,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.2,
"white": 4.04
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.2
},
"description": "Zinc is #7D7F7C, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Gray, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/zinc/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zinc.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 5.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 100,
"saturation": 1,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.006,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Gray",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Zinc"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Gray",
"background": "#808080",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.32
},
{
"color": "Zinc",
"background": "#7D7F7C",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.2
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #808080.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Zinc is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #7D7F7C.",
"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/gray-vs-zinc.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zinc.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/gray-vs-zinc/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/gray-vs-zinc.json"
}