Color comparison
Sage Green #9CAF88 vs Olive Green #708238: RGB distance 101.8 and contrast 1.8:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Sage Green and Olive Green are clearly different, with an RGB distance of 101.8. Sage Green is lighter by 0.1981, and Olive Green is more saturated by 20 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.8:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Sage Green and Olive Green across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
green color
Sage Green is #9CAF88, a cool green with hue 89°, saturation 20% and luminance 0.3951. Beside Olive Green, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 8.9:1.
green color
Olive Green is #708238, a warm green with hue 75°, saturation 40% and luminance 0.197. Beside Sage Green, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 4.94:1.
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 Sage Green and Olive Green, 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": "sage-green",
"name": "Sage Green",
"hex": "#9CAF88",
"rgb": [
156,
175,
136
],
"hsl": [
89,
20,
61
],
"cmyk": [
11,
0,
22,
31
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.3951,
"contrast": {
"black": 8.9,
"white": 2.36
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.9
},
"description": "Sage Green is #9CAF88, a cool green color with muted and earth tone character. Compared with Olive Green, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for interior design, wellness branding, and natural palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/sage-green/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sage-green.json"
},
{
"slug": "olive-green",
"name": "Olive Green",
"hex": "#708238",
"rgb": [
112,
130,
56
],
"hsl": [
75,
40,
36
],
"cmyk": [
14,
0,
57,
49
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"earth-tone",
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.197,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.94,
"white": 4.25
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.94
},
"description": "Olive Green is #708238, a warm green color with earth tone and muted character. Compared with Sage Green, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for heritage palettes, outdoor brands, and natural product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/olive-green/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/olive-green.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 101.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.8,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 14,
"saturation": 20,
"lightness": 25
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.1981,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Sage Green",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Olive Green"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.8,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Sage Green",
"background": "#9CAF88",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.9
},
{
"color": "Olive Green",
"background": "#708238",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.94
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Sage Green is better when the design needs muted and earth tone green character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #9CAF88.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Olive Green is better when the design needs earth tone and muted green character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #708238.",
"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/sage-green-vs-olive-green.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sage-green.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/olive-green.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "sage-green-vs-olive-green",
"type": "curated",
"name": "Sage Green vs Olive Green",
"verdict": "Sage Green and Olive Green are clearly different colors. Sage Green is the lighter option. Olive Green reads warmer. Their mutual contrast is 1.8:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Sage Green and Olive Green are different green colors with HEX values #9CAF88 and #708238. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 101.8, their contrast ratio is 1.8:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 101.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.8,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "sage-green",
"name": "Sage Green",
"hex": "#9CAF88",
"rgb": [
156,
175,
136
],
"hsl": [
89,
20,
61
],
"cmyk": [
11,
0,
22,
31
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.3951,
"contrast": {
"black": 8.9,
"white": 2.36
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.9
},
"description": "Sage Green is #9CAF88, a cool green color with muted and earth tone character. Compared with Olive Green, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for interior design, wellness branding, and natural palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/sage-green/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sage-green.json"
},
{
"slug": "olive-green",
"name": "Olive Green",
"hex": "#708238",
"rgb": [
112,
130,
56
],
"hsl": [
75,
40,
36
],
"cmyk": [
14,
0,
57,
49
],
"family": "green",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"earth-tone",
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.197,
"contrast": {
"black": 4.94,
"white": 4.25
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.94
},
"description": "Olive Green is #708238, a warm green color with earth tone and muted character. Compared with Sage Green, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for heritage palettes, outdoor brands, and natural product design, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/olive-green/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/olive-green.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 101.8,
"contrastRatio": 1.8,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 14,
"saturation": 20,
"lightness": 25
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.1981,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"muted",
"earth-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Sage Green",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Olive Green"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.8,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Sage Green",
"background": "#9CAF88",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 8.9
},
{
"color": "Olive Green",
"background": "#708238",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 4.94
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Sage Green is better when the design needs muted and earth tone green character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #9CAF88.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Olive Green is better when the design needs earth tone and muted green character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #708238.",
"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/sage-green-vs-olive-green.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/sage-green.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/olive-green.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/sage-green-vs-olive-green/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/sage-green-vs-olive-green.json"
}