Nearest-color comparison
Red #FF0000 vs Scarlet #FF2400: RGB distance 36 and contrast 1.05:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Red and Scarlet are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 36. Scarlet is lighter by 0.0126, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.05:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Red and Scarlet across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
red color
Red is #FF0000, a warm red with hue 0°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.2126. Beside Scarlet, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.25:1.
red color
Scarlet is #FF2400, a warm red with hue 8°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.2252. Beside Red, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.5:1.
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 Red and Scarlet, 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": "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"
}
]{
"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"
}{
"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
}
]
}{
"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."
}[
"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"
]{
"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"
}