Nearest-color comparison
Laurel Green #A9BA9D vs Lichen #9BC4A2: RGB distance 17.9 and contrast 1.06:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Laurel Green and Lichen are very close, with an RGB distance of 17.9. Lichen is lighter by 0.0307, and Lichen is more saturated by 9 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.06:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Laurel Green and Lichen across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
green color
Laurel Green is #A9BA9D, a cool green with hue 95°, saturation 17% and luminance 0.4599. Beside Lichen, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 10.2:1.
green color
Lichen is #9BC4A2, a cool green with hue 130°, saturation 26% and luminance 0.4906. Beside Laurel Green, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 10.81:1.
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 Laurel Green and Lichen, 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": "laurel-green",
"name": "Laurel Green",
"hex": "#A9BA9D",
"rgb": [
169,
186,
157
],
"hsl": [
95,
17,
67
],
"cmyk": [
9,
0,
16,
27
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.4599,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.2,
"white": 2.06
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.2
},
"description": "Laurel Green is #A9BA9D, a cool green color with muted and earth tone character. Compared with Lichen, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for natural palettes, wellness branding, and sustainability design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/laurel-green/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/laurel-green.json"
},
{
"slug": "lichen",
"name": "Lichen",
"hex": "#9BC4A2",
"rgb": [
155,
196,
162
],
"hsl": [
130,
26,
69
],
"cmyk": [
21,
0,
17,
23
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.4906,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.81,
"white": 1.94
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.81
},
"description": "Lichen is #9BC4A2, a cool green color with muted and earth tone character. Compared with Laurel Green, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for natural palettes, wellness branding, and sustainability design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/lichen/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/lichen.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 17.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 35,
"saturation": 9,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0307,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Lichen",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Lichen"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.06,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Laurel Green",
"background": "#A9BA9D",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.2
},
{
"color": "Lichen",
"background": "#9BC4A2",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.81
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Laurel Green is better when the design needs muted and earth tone green character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #A9BA9D.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Lichen is better when the design needs muted and earth tone green character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #9BC4A2.",
"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/laurel-green-vs-lichen.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/laurel-green.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/lichen.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "laurel-green-vs-lichen",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Laurel Green vs Lichen",
"verdict": "Laurel Green and Lichen are very close colors. Lichen 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": "Laurel Green and Lichen are different green colors with HEX values #A9BA9D and #9BC4A2. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 17.9, their contrast ratio is 1.06:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 17.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "laurel-green",
"name": "Laurel Green",
"hex": "#A9BA9D",
"rgb": [
169,
186,
157
],
"hsl": [
95,
17,
67
],
"cmyk": [
9,
0,
16,
27
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.4599,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.2,
"white": 2.06
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.2
},
"description": "Laurel Green is #A9BA9D, a cool green color with muted and earth tone character. Compared with Lichen, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for natural palettes, wellness branding, and sustainability design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/laurel-green/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/laurel-green.json"
},
{
"slug": "lichen",
"name": "Lichen",
"hex": "#9BC4A2",
"rgb": [
155,
196,
162
],
"hsl": [
130,
26,
69
],
"cmyk": [
21,
0,
17,
23
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.4906,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.81,
"white": 1.94
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.81
},
"description": "Lichen is #9BC4A2, a cool green color with muted and earth tone character. Compared with Laurel Green, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for natural palettes, wellness branding, and sustainability design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/lichen/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/lichen.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 17.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 35,
"saturation": 9,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0307,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Lichen",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Lichen"
},
"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": "Laurel Green",
"background": "#A9BA9D",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.2
},
{
"color": "Lichen",
"background": "#9BC4A2",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.81
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Laurel Green is better when the design needs muted and earth tone green character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #A9BA9D.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Lichen is better when the design needs muted and earth tone green character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #9BC4A2.",
"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/laurel-green-vs-lichen.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/laurel-green.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/lichen.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/laurel-green-vs-lichen/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/laurel-green-vs-lichen.json"
}