Nearest-color comparison
Shale #59656F vs Granite #676767: RGB distance 16.2 and contrast 1.06:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Shale and Granite are very close, with an RGB distance of 16.2. Granite is lighter by 0.0098, and Shale is more saturated by 11 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.06:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Shale and Granite across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Shale is #59656F, a cool blue with hue 207°, saturation 11% and luminance 0.1258. Beside Granite, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.97:1.
gray color
Granite is #676767, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.1356. Beside Shale, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.66:1.
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 Shale and Granite, 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": "shale",
"name": "Shale",
"hex": "#59656F",
"rgb": [
89,
101,
111
],
"hsl": [
207,
11,
39
],
"cmyk": [
20,
9,
0,
56
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1258,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.52,
"white": 5.97
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
},
"description": "Shale is #59656F, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Granite, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/shale/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
},
{
"slug": "granite",
"name": "Granite",
"hex": "#676767",
"rgb": [
103,
103,
103
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
40
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
60
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1356,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.71,
"white": 5.66
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.66
},
"description": "Granite is #676767, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Shale, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/granite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/granite.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 16.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 207,
"saturation": 11,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0098,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Granite",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Shale"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.06,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Shale",
"background": "#59656F",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
},
{
"color": "Granite",
"background": "#676767",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.66
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Shale is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #59656F.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Granite is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #676767.",
"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/shale-vs-granite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/granite.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "shale-vs-granite",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Shale vs Granite",
"verdict": "Shale and Granite are very close colors. Granite is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.06:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Shale and Granite are different blue and gray colors with HEX values #59656F and #676767. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 16.2, their contrast ratio is 1.06:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 16.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "shale",
"name": "Shale",
"hex": "#59656F",
"rgb": [
89,
101,
111
],
"hsl": [
207,
11,
39
],
"cmyk": [
20,
9,
0,
56
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1258,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.52,
"white": 5.97
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
},
"description": "Shale is #59656F, a cool blue color with muted character. Compared with Granite, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/shale/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
},
{
"slug": "granite",
"name": "Granite",
"hex": "#676767",
"rgb": [
103,
103,
103
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
40
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
60
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1356,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.71,
"white": 5.66
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.66
},
"description": "Granite is #676767, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Shale, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/granite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/granite.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 16.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.06,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 207,
"saturation": 11,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0098,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Granite",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Shale"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.06,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Shale",
"background": "#59656F",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.97
},
{
"color": "Granite",
"background": "#676767",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 5.66
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Shale is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #59656F.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Granite is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #676767.",
"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/shale-vs-granite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/granite.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/shale-vs-granite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/shale-vs-granite.json"
}