Nearest-color comparison
Neon Red #FF073A vs Crimson #DC143C: RGB distance 37.4 and contrast 1.27:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Neon Red and Crimson are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 37.4. Neon Red is lighter by 0.0568, and Neon Red is more saturated by 17 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.27:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Neon Red and Crimson across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
red color
Neon Red is #FF073A, a warm red with hue 348°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.2172. Beside Crimson, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.34:1.
red color
Crimson is #DC143C, a warm red with hue 348°, saturation 83% and luminance 0.1604. Beside Neon Red, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 4.99:1.
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 Neon Red and Crimson, 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": "neon-red",
"name": "Neon Red",
"hex": "#FF073A",
"rgb": [
255,
7,
58
],
"hsl": [
348,
100,
51
],
"cmyk": [
0,
97,
77,
0
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.2172,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.34,
"white": 3.93
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.34
},
"description": "Neon Red is #FF073A, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Crimson, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for neon accents, event graphics, and high-energy digital design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/neon-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/neon-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "crimson",
"name": "Crimson",
"hex": "#DC143C",
"rgb": [
220,
20,
60
],
"hsl": [
348,
83,
47
],
"cmyk": [
0,
91,
73,
14
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1604,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.21,
"white": 4.99
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
},
"description": "Crimson is #DC143C, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Neon Red, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 37.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.27,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 17,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0568,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Neon Red",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Neon Red"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.27,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Neon Red",
"background": "#FF073A",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.34
},
{
"color": "Crimson",
"background": "#DC143C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Neon Red is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF073A.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Crimson is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC143C.",
"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/neon-red-vs-crimson.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/neon-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "neon-red-vs-crimson",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Neon Red vs Crimson",
"verdict": "Neon Red and Crimson are visually related colors. Neon Red is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.27:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Neon Red and Crimson are different red colors with HEX values #FF073A and #DC143C. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 37.4, their contrast ratio is 1.27:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 37.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.27,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "neon-red",
"name": "Neon Red",
"hex": "#FF073A",
"rgb": [
255,
7,
58
],
"hsl": [
348,
100,
51
],
"cmyk": [
0,
97,
77,
0
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.2172,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.34,
"white": 3.93
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.34
},
"description": "Neon Red is #FF073A, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Crimson, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for neon accents, event graphics, and high-energy digital design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/neon-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/neon-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "crimson",
"name": "Crimson",
"hex": "#DC143C",
"rgb": [
220,
20,
60
],
"hsl": [
348,
83,
47
],
"cmyk": [
0,
91,
73,
14
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1604,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.21,
"white": 4.99
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
},
"description": "Crimson is #DC143C, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Neon Red, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 37.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.27,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 0,
"saturation": 17,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0568,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Neon Red",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Neon Red"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.27,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Neon Red",
"background": "#FF073A",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.34
},
{
"color": "Crimson",
"background": "#DC143C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 4.99
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Neon Red is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF073A.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Crimson is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #DC143C.",
"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/neon-red-vs-crimson.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/neon-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/crimson.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/neon-red-vs-crimson/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/neon-red-vs-crimson.json"
}