Nearest-color comparison
Mercury #EBEBEB vs Alabaster #EDEAE0: RGB distance 11.2 and contrast 1.01:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Mercury and Alabaster are very close, with an RGB distance of 11.2. Mercury is lighter by 0.0085, and Alabaster is more saturated by 27 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.
The main measurable differences between Mercury and Alabaster across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Mercury is #EBEBEB, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.8308. Beside Alabaster, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 17.62:1.
yellow color
Alabaster is #EDEAE0, a warm yellow with hue 46°, saturation 27% and luminance 0.8223. Beside Mercury, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 17.45:1.
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 Mercury and Alabaster, 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": "mercury",
"name": "Mercury",
"hex": "#EBEBEB",
"rgb": [
235,
235,
235
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
92
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
8
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"light"
],
"luminance": 0.8308,
"contrast": {
"black": 17.62,
"white": 1.19
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.62
},
"description": "Mercury is #EBEBEB, a neutral gray color with light character. Compared with Alabaster, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for metallic palettes, product finishes, and premium packaging, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/mercury/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mercury.json"
},
{
"slug": "alabaster",
"name": "Alabaster",
"hex": "#EDEAE0",
"rgb": [
237,
234,
224
],
"hsl": [
46,
27,
90
],
"cmyk": [
0,
1,
5,
7
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"light"
],
"luminance": 0.8223,
"contrast": {
"black": 17.45,
"white": 1.2
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.45
},
"description": "Alabaster is #EDEAE0, a warm yellow color with light character. Compared with Mercury, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/alabaster/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/alabaster.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 11.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.01,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 46,
"saturation": 27,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0085,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"light"
],
"lighterColor": "Mercury",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Alabaster"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.01,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Mercury",
"background": "#EBEBEB",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.62
},
{
"color": "Alabaster",
"background": "#EDEAE0",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.45
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Mercury is better when the design needs light gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #EBEBEB.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Alabaster is better when the design needs light yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #EDEAE0.",
"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/mercury-vs-alabaster.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mercury.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/alabaster.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "mercury-vs-alabaster",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Mercury vs Alabaster",
"verdict": "Mercury and Alabaster are very close colors. Mercury is the lighter option. Alabaster reads warmer. Their mutual contrast is 1.01:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Mercury and Alabaster are different gray and yellow colors with HEX values #EBEBEB and #EDEAE0. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 11.2, their contrast ratio is 1.01:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 11.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.01,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "mercury",
"name": "Mercury",
"hex": "#EBEBEB",
"rgb": [
235,
235,
235
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
92
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
8
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"light"
],
"luminance": 0.8308,
"contrast": {
"black": 17.62,
"white": 1.19
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.62
},
"description": "Mercury is #EBEBEB, a neutral gray color with light character. Compared with Alabaster, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for metallic palettes, product finishes, and premium packaging, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/mercury/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mercury.json"
},
{
"slug": "alabaster",
"name": "Alabaster",
"hex": "#EDEAE0",
"rgb": [
237,
234,
224
],
"hsl": [
46,
27,
90
],
"cmyk": [
0,
1,
5,
7
],
"family": "yellow",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"light"
],
"luminance": 0.8223,
"contrast": {
"black": 17.45,
"white": 1.2
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.45
},
"description": "Alabaster is #EDEAE0, a warm yellow color with light character. Compared with Mercury, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/alabaster/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/alabaster.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 11.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.01,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 46,
"saturation": 27,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0085,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"light"
],
"lighterColor": "Mercury",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Alabaster"
},
"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": "Mercury",
"background": "#EBEBEB",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.62
},
{
"color": "Alabaster",
"background": "#EDEAE0",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 17.45
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Mercury is better when the design needs light gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #EBEBEB.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Alabaster is better when the design needs light yellow character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #EDEAE0.",
"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/mercury-vs-alabaster.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/mercury.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/alabaster.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/mercury-vs-alabaster/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/mercury-vs-alabaster.json"
}