Nearest-color comparison
Pewter #899499 vs Primer Gray #8B8C89: RGB distance 18 and contrast 1.09:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Pewter and Primer Gray are very close, with an RGB distance of 18. Pewter is lighter by 0.0275, and Pewter is more saturated by 6 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.09:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Pewter and Primer Gray across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
gray color
Pewter is #899499, a neutral gray with hue 199°, saturation 7% and luminance 0.288. Beside Primer Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 6.76:1.
gray color
Primer Gray is #8B8C89, a neutral gray with hue 80°, saturation 1% and luminance 0.2605. Beside Pewter, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 6.21:1.
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 Pewter and Primer 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": "pewter",
"name": "Pewter",
"hex": "#899499",
"rgb": [
137,
148,
153
],
"hsl": [
199,
7,
57
],
"cmyk": [
10,
3,
0,
40
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.288,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.76,
"white": 3.11
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.76
},
"description": "Pewter is #899499, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Primer 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/pewter/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pewter.json"
},
{
"slug": "primer-gray",
"name": "Primer Gray",
"hex": "#8B8C89",
"rgb": [
139,
140,
137
],
"hsl": [
80,
1,
54
],
"cmyk": [
1,
0,
2,
45
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2605,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.21,
"white": 3.38
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.21
},
"description": "Primer Gray is #8B8C89, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Pewter, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/primer-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 18,
"contrastRatio": 1.09,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 119,
"saturation": 6,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0275,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Pewter",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pewter"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.09,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Pewter",
"background": "#899499",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.76
},
{
"color": "Primer Gray",
"background": "#8B8C89",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.21
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pewter is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #899499.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Primer Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8B8C89.",
"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/pewter-vs-primer-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pewter.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "pewter-vs-primer-gray",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Pewter vs Primer Gray",
"verdict": "Pewter and Primer Gray are very close colors. Pewter is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.09:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Pewter and Primer Gray are different gray colors with HEX values #899499 and #8B8C89. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 18, their contrast ratio is 1.09:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 18,
"contrastRatio": 1.09,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "pewter",
"name": "Pewter",
"hex": "#899499",
"rgb": [
137,
148,
153
],
"hsl": [
199,
7,
57
],
"cmyk": [
10,
3,
0,
40
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.288,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.76,
"white": 3.11
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.76
},
"description": "Pewter is #899499, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Primer 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/pewter/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pewter.json"
},
{
"slug": "primer-gray",
"name": "Primer Gray",
"hex": "#8B8C89",
"rgb": [
139,
140,
137
],
"hsl": [
80,
1,
54
],
"cmyk": [
1,
0,
2,
45
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2605,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.21,
"white": 3.38
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.21
},
"description": "Primer Gray is #8B8C89, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Pewter, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/primer-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 18,
"contrastRatio": 1.09,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 119,
"saturation": 6,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0275,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Pewter",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pewter"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.09,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Pewter",
"background": "#899499",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.76
},
{
"color": "Primer Gray",
"background": "#8B8C89",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.21
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pewter is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #899499.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Primer Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8B8C89.",
"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/pewter-vs-primer-gray.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pewter.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/pewter-vs-primer-gray/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/pewter-vs-primer-gray.json"
}