Nearest-color comparison
Oxidized Copper #6E7F80 vs Steel Gray #71797E: RGB distance 7 and contrast 1.06:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Oxidized Copper and Steel Gray are very close, with an RGB distance of 7. Oxidized Copper is lighter by 0.0136, and Oxidized Copper is more saturated by 3 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 Oxidized Copper and Steel Gray across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
cyan color
Oxidized Copper is #6E7F80, a cool cyan with hue 183°, saturation 8% and luminance 0.2005. Beside Steel Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.01:1.
gray color
Steel Gray is #71797E, a neutral gray with hue 203°, saturation 5% and luminance 0.1869. Beside Oxidized Copper, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 4.74:1.
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 Oxidized Copper and Steel Gray, 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": "oxidized-copper",
"name": "Oxidized Copper",
"hex": "#6E7F80",
"rgb": [
110,
127,
128
],
"hsl": [
183,
8,
47
],
"cmyk": [
14,
1,
0,
50
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2005,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.01,
"white": 4.19
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.01
},
"description": "Oxidized Copper is #6E7F80, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Steel Gray, it is lighter and more 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/oxidized-copper/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/oxidized-copper.json"
},
{
"slug": "steel-gray",
"name": "Steel Gray",
"hex": "#71797E",
"rgb": [
113,
121,
126
],
"hsl": [
203,
5,
47
],
"cmyk": [
10,
4,
0,
51
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1869,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.74,
"white": 4.43
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.74
},
"description": "Steel Gray is #71797E, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Oxidized Copper, it is darker 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/steel-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-gray.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 7,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 20,
"saturation": 3,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0136,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Oxidized Copper",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Oxidized Copper"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.06,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Oxidized Copper",
"background": "#6E7F80",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.01
},
{
"color": "Steel Gray",
"background": "#71797E",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.74
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Oxidized Copper is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #6E7F80.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Steel Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #71797E.",
"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/oxidized-copper-vs-steel-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/oxidized-copper.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-gray.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "oxidized-copper-vs-steel-gray",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Oxidized Copper vs Steel Gray",
"verdict": "Oxidized Copper and Steel Gray are very close colors. Oxidized Copper 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": "Oxidized Copper and Steel Gray are different cyan and gray colors with HEX values #6E7F80 and #71797E. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 7, their contrast ratio is 1.06:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 7,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "oxidized-copper",
"name": "Oxidized Copper",
"hex": "#6E7F80",
"rgb": [
110,
127,
128
],
"hsl": [
183,
8,
47
],
"cmyk": [
14,
1,
0,
50
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2005,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.01,
"white": 4.19
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.01
},
"description": "Oxidized Copper is #6E7F80, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Steel Gray, it is lighter and more 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/oxidized-copper/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/oxidized-copper.json"
},
{
"slug": "steel-gray",
"name": "Steel Gray",
"hex": "#71797E",
"rgb": [
113,
121,
126
],
"hsl": [
203,
5,
47
],
"cmyk": [
10,
4,
0,
51
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1869,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.74,
"white": 4.43
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.74
},
"description": "Steel Gray is #71797E, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Oxidized Copper, it is darker 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/steel-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-gray.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 7,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 20,
"saturation": 3,
"lightness": 0
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0136,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Oxidized Copper",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Oxidized Copper"
},
"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": "Oxidized Copper",
"background": "#6E7F80",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.01
},
{
"color": "Steel Gray",
"background": "#71797E",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.74
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Oxidized Copper is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #6E7F80.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Steel Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #71797E.",
"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/oxidized-copper-vs-steel-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/oxidized-copper.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-gray.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/oxidized-copper-vs-steel-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/oxidized-copper-vs-steel-gray.json"
}