Nearest-color comparison
Pompeian Red #A42A04 vs Firebrick #B22222: RGB distance 34.1 and contrast 1.08:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Pompeian Red and Firebrick are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 34.1. Firebrick is lighter by 0.0116, and Pompeian Red is more saturated by 27 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.08:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Pompeian Red and Firebrick across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
red color
Pompeian Red is #A42A04, a warm red with hue 14°, saturation 95% and luminance 0.0956. Beside Firebrick, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 7.21:1.
red color
Firebrick is #B22222, a warm red with hue 0°, saturation 68% and luminance 0.1072. Beside Pompeian Red, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 6.68:1.
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 Pompeian Red and Firebrick, 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": "pompeian-red",
"name": "Pompeian Red",
"hex": "#A42A04",
"rgb": [
164,
42,
4
],
"hsl": [
14,
95,
33
],
"cmyk": [
0,
74,
98,
36
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0956,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.91,
"white": 7.21
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.21
},
"description": "Pompeian Red is #A42A04, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Firebrick, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/pompeian-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pompeian-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "firebrick",
"name": "Firebrick",
"hex": "#B22222",
"rgb": [
178,
34,
34
],
"hsl": [
0,
68,
42
],
"cmyk": [
0,
81,
81,
30
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.1072,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.14,
"white": 6.68
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.68
},
"description": "Firebrick is #B22222, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Pompeian Red, it is lighter 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/firebrick/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/firebrick.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 34.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 14,
"saturation": 27,
"lightness": 9
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0116,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Firebrick",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pompeian Red"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.08,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Pompeian Red",
"background": "#A42A04",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.21
},
{
"color": "Firebrick",
"background": "#B22222",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.68
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pompeian Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #A42A04.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Firebrick is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #B22222.",
"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/pompeian-red-vs-firebrick.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pompeian-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/firebrick.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "pompeian-red-vs-firebrick",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Pompeian Red vs Firebrick",
"verdict": "Pompeian Red and Firebrick are visually related colors. Firebrick is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.08:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Pompeian Red and Firebrick are different red colors with HEX values #A42A04 and #B22222. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 34.1, their contrast ratio is 1.08:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 34.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "pompeian-red",
"name": "Pompeian Red",
"hex": "#A42A04",
"rgb": [
164,
42,
4
],
"hsl": [
14,
95,
33
],
"cmyk": [
0,
74,
98,
36
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.0956,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.91,
"white": 7.21
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.21
},
"description": "Pompeian Red is #A42A04, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Firebrick, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/pompeian-red/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pompeian-red.json"
},
{
"slug": "firebrick",
"name": "Firebrick",
"hex": "#B22222",
"rgb": [
178,
34,
34
],
"hsl": [
0,
68,
42
],
"cmyk": [
0,
81,
81,
30
],
"family": "red",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.1072,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.14,
"white": 6.68
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.68
},
"description": "Firebrick is #B22222, a warm red color with balanced character. Compared with Pompeian Red, it is lighter 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/firebrick/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/firebrick.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 34.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.08,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 14,
"saturation": 27,
"lightness": 9
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0116,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"balanced"
],
"lighterColor": "Firebrick",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pompeian Red"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.08,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Pompeian Red",
"background": "#A42A04",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 7.21
},
{
"color": "Firebrick",
"background": "#B22222",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.68
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pompeian Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #A42A04.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Firebrick is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #B22222.",
"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/pompeian-red-vs-firebrick.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pompeian-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/firebrick.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/pompeian-red-vs-firebrick/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/pompeian-red-vs-firebrick.json"
}