Nearest-color comparison
Orange #FFA500 vs Dark Orange #FF8C00: RGB distance 25 and contrast 1.18:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Orange and Dark Orange are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 25. Orange is lighter by 0.0815, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.18:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Orange and Dark Orange across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
orange color
Orange is #FFA500, a warm orange with hue 39°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.4817. Beside Dark Orange, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 10.63:1.
orange color
Dark Orange is #FF8C00, a warm orange with hue 33°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.4002. Beside Orange, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 9:1.
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 Orange and Dark Orange, 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": "orange",
"name": "Orange",
"hex": "#FFA500",
"rgb": [
255,
165,
0
],
"hsl": [
39,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
35,
100,
0
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4817,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.63,
"white": 1.97
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.63
},
"description": "Orange is #FFA500, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Dark Orange, it is lighter and similar in saturation. 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/orange/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/orange.json"
},
{
"slug": "dark-orange",
"name": "Dark Orange",
"hex": "#FF8C00",
"rgb": [
255,
140,
0
],
"hsl": [
33,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
45,
100,
0
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4002,
"contrast": {
"black": 9,
"white": 2.33
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
},
"description": "Dark Orange is #FF8C00, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Orange, it is darker and similar in saturation. 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/dark-orange/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 25,
"contrastRatio": 1.18,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 6,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0815,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Orange",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Orange"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.18,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Orange",
"background": "#FFA500",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.63
},
{
"color": "Dark Orange",
"background": "#FF8C00",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FFA500.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF8C00.",
"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/orange-vs-dark-orange.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/orange.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "orange-vs-dark-orange",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Orange vs Dark Orange",
"verdict": "Orange and Dark Orange are visually related colors. Orange is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.18:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Orange and Dark Orange are different orange colors with HEX values #FFA500 and #FF8C00. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 25, their contrast ratio is 1.18:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 25,
"contrastRatio": 1.18,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "orange",
"name": "Orange",
"hex": "#FFA500",
"rgb": [
255,
165,
0
],
"hsl": [
39,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
35,
100,
0
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4817,
"contrast": {
"black": 10.63,
"white": 1.97
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A",
"#36454F"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.63
},
"description": "Orange is #FFA500, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Dark Orange, it is lighter and similar in saturation. 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/orange/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/orange.json"
},
{
"slug": "dark-orange",
"name": "Dark Orange",
"hex": "#FF8C00",
"rgb": [
255,
140,
0
],
"hsl": [
33,
100,
50
],
"cmyk": [
0,
45,
100,
0
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.4002,
"contrast": {
"black": 9,
"white": 2.33
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
},
"description": "Dark Orange is #FF8C00, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Orange, it is darker and similar in saturation. 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/dark-orange/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 25,
"contrastRatio": 1.18,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 6,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0815,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"vibrant"
],
"lighterColor": "Orange",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Orange"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.18,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Orange",
"background": "#FFA500",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 10.63
},
{
"color": "Dark Orange",
"background": "#FF8C00",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 9
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FFA500.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Dark Orange is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF8C00.",
"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/orange-vs-dark-orange.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/orange.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/dark-orange.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/orange-vs-dark-orange/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/orange-vs-dark-orange.json"
}