Nearest-color comparison

Pompeian Red vs Firebrick

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.

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.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Pompeian Red#A42A04

Firebrick#B22222

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Pompeian Red and Firebrick across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance34.1

Pair contrast1.08:1

Luminance delta0.0116

Hue delta14 deg

Lighter colorFirebrick

More saturatedPompeian Red

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

red color

Pompeian Red

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 Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#A42A04 RGB164, 42, 4 HSL14, 95, 33 CMYK0, 74, 98, 36 Luminance0.0956 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

red color

Firebrick

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.

HEX#B22222 RGB178, 34, 34 HSL0, 68, 42 CMYK0, 81, 81, 30 Luminance0.1072 Best textwhite text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Pompeian Red or Firebrick

Choose Pompeian RedPompeian Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #A42A04.

Choose FirebrickFirebrick is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #B22222.

Use togetherUse these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyPompeian RedFirebrick

HEX#A42A04#B22222

RGB164, 42, 4178, 34, 34

HSL14, 95, 330, 68, 42

CMYK0, 74, 98, 360, 81, 81, 30

FamilyRedRed

TemperatureWarmWarm

ToneBalancedBalanced

Luminance0.09560.1072

Black contrast2.91:13.14:1

White contrast7.21:16.68:1

Shared tonesBalanced

Accessibility and Contrast

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

Pompeian Redwhite text - 7.21:1

Firebrickwhite text - 6.68:1

Related Palette Strip

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

Pompeian Red#A42A04

Firebrick#B22222

#F9430B#F9430B

#DE5454#DE5454

#047FA4#047FA4

#22B4B4#22B4B4

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

Structured sections

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
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "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."
}

Related API

[
  "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"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "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"
}