Nearest-color comparison

Pewter vs Soapstone

Pewter #899499 vs Soapstone #8D9A91: RGB distance 10.8 and contrast 1.06:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.

Pewter and Soapstone are very close, with an RGB distance of 10.8. Soapstone is lighter by 0.0202, and Pewter is more saturated by 1 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.

Pewter#899499
Soapstone#8D9A91

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Pewter and Soapstone across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance10.8
Pair contrast1.06:1
Luminance delta0.0202
Hue delta61 deg
Lighter colorSoapstone
More saturatedPewter

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Pewter

Pewter is #899499, a neutral gray with hue 199°, saturation 7% and luminance 0.288. Beside Soapstone, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 6.76:1.

HEX#899499 RGB137, 148, 153 HSL199, 7, 57 CMYK10, 3, 0, 40 Luminance0.288 Best textblack text

gray color

Soapstone

Soapstone is #8D9A91, a neutral gray with hue 138°, saturation 6% and luminance 0.3082. Beside Pewter, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 7.16:1.

HEX#8D9A91 RGB141, 154, 145 HSL138, 6, 58 CMYK8, 0, 6, 40 Luminance0.3082 Best textblack text

When to Use Pewter or Soapstone

Choose PewterChoose Pewter when the design calls for muted gray color at #899499, with neutral temperature and 57% HSL lightness.
Choose SoapstoneChoose Soapstone when #8D9A91, its muted gray character, or its 58% HSL lightness is the closer match.
Use togetherTreat them as tonal alternatives or adjacent palette steps, not as text and background. Their contrast is only 1.06:1. They share muted tone characteristics.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyPewterSoapstone
HEX#899499#8D9A91
RGB137, 148, 153141, 154, 145
HSL199, 7, 57138, 6, 58
CMYK10, 3, 0, 408, 0, 6, 40
FamilyGrayGray
TemperatureNeutralNeutral
ToneMutedMuted
Luminance0.2880.3082
Black contrast6.76:17.16:1
White contrast3.11:12.93:1
Shared tonesMuted

Accessibility and Contrast

Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.

Pewterblack text - 6.76:1
Soapstoneblack text - 7.16:1

Downloadable color comparison infographic

Pewter vs Soapstone Color Comparison Infographic

Save a high-resolution comparison infographic with both HEX colors, visual distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.

1200 × 800
Pewter vs Soapstone color comparison infographic showing both HEX colors, RGB and HSL values, color distance, mutual contrast, and accessibility guidance.
Pewter vs Soapstone color comparison infographic generated from the canonical dataset values shown on this page.

Related Palette Strip

A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.

Machine-readable data

Machine-Readable Pewter vs Soapstone Data (JSON)

Structured comparison data for Pewter and Soapstone, including color systems, RGB distance, HSL deltas, contrast, accessibility guidance, use cases, and API links.

AI-Ready Dataset v1.0.0
colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and links
differencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributes
accessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each color
useCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them together
relatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints
Download JSON Open API
Structured sections
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 Soapstone, it is darker 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": "soapstone",
    "name": "Soapstone",
    "hex": "#8D9A91",
    "rgb": [
      141,
      154,
      145
    ],
    "hsl": [
      138,
      6,
      58
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      8,
      0,
      6,
      40
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.3082,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 7.16,
      "white": 2.93
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#000000"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 7.16
    },
    "description": "Soapstone is #8D9A91, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Pewter, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/soapstone/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json"
  }
]
Differences
{
  "rgbDistance": 10.8,
  "contrastRatio": 1.06,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 61,
    "saturation": 1,
    "lightness": 1
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0202,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "muted"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Soapstone",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Pewter"
}
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": "Pewter",
      "background": "#899499",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 6.76
    },
    {
      "color": "Soapstone",
      "background": "#8D9A91",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 7.16
    }
  ]
}
Use cases
{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Pewter is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #899499.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Soapstone is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8D9A91.",
  "useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}
Related API
[
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/pewter-vs-soapstone.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pewter.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json"
]
Full JSON dataset
{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "pewter-vs-soapstone",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Pewter vs Soapstone",
  "verdict": "Pewter and Soapstone are very close colors. Soapstone 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": "Pewter and Soapstone are different gray colors with HEX values #899499 and #8D9A91. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 10.8, their contrast ratio is 1.06:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 10.8,
  "contrastRatio": 1.06,
  "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 Soapstone, it is darker 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": "soapstone",
      "name": "Soapstone",
      "hex": "#8D9A91",
      "rgb": [
        141,
        154,
        145
      ],
      "hsl": [
        138,
        6,
        58
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        8,
        0,
        6,
        40
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.3082,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 7.16,
        "white": 2.93
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#000000"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 7.16
      },
      "description": "Soapstone is #8D9A91, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Pewter, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/soapstone/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 10.8,
    "contrastRatio": 1.06,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 61,
      "saturation": 1,
      "lightness": 1
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0202,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Soapstone",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Pewter"
  },
  "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": "Pewter",
        "background": "#899499",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 6.76
      },
      {
        "color": "Soapstone",
        "background": "#8D9A91",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 7.16
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Pewter is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #899499.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Soapstone is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8D9A91.",
    "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-soapstone.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pewter.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/pewter-vs-soapstone/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/pewter-vs-soapstone.json"
}