Nearest-color comparison

Red vs Scarlet

Red and Scarlet are different red colors with HEX values #FF0000 and #FF2400. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 36, their contrast ratio is 1.05:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Red and Scarlet are visually related colors. Scarlet is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.05:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Red#FF0000

Scarlet#FF2400

Quick Difference Summary

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

RGB distance36

Pair contrast1.05:1

Luminance delta0.0126

Hue delta8 deg

Lighter colorScarlet

More saturatedRed

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

red color

Red

Red is #FF0000, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Scarlet, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#FF0000 RGB255, 0, 0 HSL0, 100, 50 CMYK0, 100, 100, 0 Luminance0.2126 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

red color

Scarlet

Scarlet is #FF2400, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Red, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#FF2400 RGB255, 36, 0 HSL8, 100, 50 CMYK0, 86, 100, 0 Luminance0.2252 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Red or Scarlet

Choose RedRed is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF0000.

Choose ScarletScarlet is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF2400.

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

Technical Comparison Table

PropertyRedScarlet

HEX#FF0000#FF2400

RGB255, 0, 0255, 36, 0

HSL0, 100, 508, 100, 50

CMYK0, 100, 100, 00, 86, 100, 0

FamilyRedRed

TemperatureWarmWarm

ToneVibrantVibrant

Luminance0.21260.2252

Black contrast5.25:15.5:1

White contrast4:13.82:1

Shared tonesVibrant

Accessibility and Contrast

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

Redblack text - 5.25:1

Scarletblack text - 5.5:1

Related Palette Strip

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

Red#FF0000

Scarlet#FF2400

#FF5C5C#FF5C5C

#FF725C#FF725C

Cyan#00FFFF

#00DDFF#00DDFF

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": "red",
    "name": "Red",
    "hex": "#FF0000",
    "rgb": [
      255,
      0,
      0
    ],
    "hsl": [
      0,
      100,
      50
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      100,
      100,
      0
    ],
    "family": "red",
    "temperature": "warm",
    "tone": [
      "vibrant"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.2126,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 5.25,
      "white": 4
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000"
      ],
      "AAA": []
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.25
    },
    "description": "Red is #FF0000, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Scarlet, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/red/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/red.json"
  },
  {
    "slug": "scarlet",
    "name": "Scarlet",
    "hex": "#FF2400",
    "rgb": [
      255,
      36,
      0
    ],
    "hsl": [
      8,
      100,
      50
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      0,
      86,
      100,
      0
    ],
    "family": "red",
    "temperature": "warm",
    "tone": [
      "vibrant"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.2252,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 5.5,
      "white": 3.82
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A"
      ],
      "AAA": []
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.5
    },
    "description": "Scarlet is #FF2400, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Red, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/scarlet/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/scarlet.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 36,
  "contrastRatio": 1.05,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 8,
    "saturation": 0,
    "lightness": 0
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0126,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "vibrant"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Scarlet",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Red"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.05,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Red",
      "background": "#FF0000",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.25
    },
    {
      "color": "Scarlet",
      "background": "#FF2400",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 5.5
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Red is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF0000.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Scarlet is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF2400.",
  "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/red-vs-scarlet.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/red.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/scarlet.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "red-vs-scarlet",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Red vs Scarlet",
  "verdict": "Red and Scarlet are visually related colors. Scarlet is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.05:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Red and Scarlet are different red colors with HEX values #FF0000 and #FF2400. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 36, their contrast ratio is 1.05:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 36,
  "contrastRatio": 1.05,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "red",
      "name": "Red",
      "hex": "#FF0000",
      "rgb": [
        255,
        0,
        0
      ],
      "hsl": [
        0,
        100,
        50
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        100,
        100,
        0
      ],
      "family": "red",
      "temperature": "warm",
      "tone": [
        "vibrant"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.2126,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 5.25,
        "white": 4
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000"
        ],
        "AAA": []
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.25
      },
      "description": "Red is #FF0000, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Scarlet, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/red/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/red.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "scarlet",
      "name": "Scarlet",
      "hex": "#FF2400",
      "rgb": [
        255,
        36,
        0
      ],
      "hsl": [
        8,
        100,
        50
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        0,
        86,
        100,
        0
      ],
      "family": "red",
      "temperature": "warm",
      "tone": [
        "vibrant"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.2252,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 5.5,
        "white": 3.82
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A"
        ],
        "AAA": []
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.5
      },
      "description": "Scarlet is #FF2400, a warm red color with vibrant character. Compared with Red, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/scarlet/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/scarlet.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 36,
    "contrastRatio": 1.05,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 8,
      "saturation": 0,
      "lightness": 0
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0126,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "vibrant"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Scarlet",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Red"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.05,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Red",
        "background": "#FF0000",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.25
      },
      {
        "color": "Scarlet",
        "background": "#FF2400",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 5.5
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Red is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF0000.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Scarlet is better when the design needs vibrant red character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #FF2400.",
    "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/red-vs-scarlet.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/red.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/scarlet.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/red-vs-scarlet/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/red-vs-scarlet.json"
}