Nearest-color comparison
Pompeian Red #A42A04 vs Rust #B7410E: RGB distance 31.5 and contrast 1.3:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Pompeian Red and Rust are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 31.5. Rust is lighter by 0.0432, and Pompeian Red is more saturated by 9 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.3:1. 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 Rust 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 Rust, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 7.21:1.
orange color
Rust is #B7410E, a warm orange with hue 18°, saturation 86% and luminance 0.1388. Beside Pompeian Red, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.56:1.
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 Rust, 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 Rust, 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": "rust",
"name": "Rust",
"hex": "#B7410E",
"rgb": [
183,
65,
14
],
"hsl": [
18,
86,
39
],
"cmyk": [
0,
64,
92,
28
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1388,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.78,
"white": 5.56
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.56
},
"description": "Rust is #B7410E, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Pompeian Red, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for warm accents, food branding, and interior palettes, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/rust/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/rust.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 31.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.3,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 4,
"saturation": 9,
"lightness": 6
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0432,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Rust",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pompeian Red"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.3,
"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": "Rust",
"background": "#B7410E",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.56
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pompeian Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #A42A04.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Rust is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #B7410E.",
"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-rust.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pompeian-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/rust.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "pompeian-red-vs-rust",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Pompeian Red vs Rust",
"verdict": "Pompeian Red and Rust are visually related colors. Rust is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.3:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Pompeian Red and Rust are different red and orange colors with HEX values #A42A04 and #B7410E. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 31.5, their contrast ratio is 1.3:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 31.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.3,
"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 Rust, 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": "rust",
"name": "Rust",
"hex": "#B7410E",
"rgb": [
183,
65,
14
],
"hsl": [
18,
86,
39
],
"cmyk": [
0,
64,
92,
28
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"vibrant"
],
"luminance": 0.1388,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.78,
"white": 5.56
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.56
},
"description": "Rust is #B7410E, a warm orange color with vibrant character. Compared with Pompeian Red, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for warm accents, food branding, and interior palettes, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/rust/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/rust.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 31.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.3,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 4,
"saturation": 9,
"lightness": 6
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0432,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Rust",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Pompeian Red"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.3,
"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": "Rust",
"background": "#B7410E",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.56
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Pompeian Red is better when the design needs balanced red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #A42A04.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Rust is better when the design needs vibrant orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #B7410E.",
"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-rust.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/pompeian-red.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/rust.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/pompeian-red-vs-rust/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/pompeian-red-vs-rust.json"
}