Nearest-color comparison
Shale #59656F vs Storm Blue #4F666A: RGB distance 11.2 and contrast 1.02:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Shale and Storm Blue are very close, with an RGB distance of 11.2. Shale is lighter by 0.0037, and Storm Blue is more saturated by 4 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1. 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 Storm Blue 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 Storm Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 5.97:1.
cyan color
Storm Blue is #4F666A, a cool cyan with hue 189°, saturation 15% and luminance 0.1221. Beside Shale, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 6.1:1.
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 Storm Blue, 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 Storm Blue, 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/shale/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
},
{
"slug": "storm-blue",
"name": "Storm Blue",
"hex": "#4F666A",
"rgb": [
79,
102,
106
],
"hsl": [
189,
15,
36
],
"cmyk": [
25,
4,
0,
58
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1221,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.44,
"white": 6.1
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.1
},
"description": "Storm Blue is #4F666A, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Shale, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/storm-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/storm-blue.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 11.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 18,
"saturation": 4,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0037,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Shale",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Storm Blue"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
"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": "Storm Blue",
"background": "#4F666A",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.1
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Shale is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #59656F.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Storm Blue is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4F666A.",
"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-storm-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/storm-blue.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "shale-vs-storm-blue",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Shale vs Storm Blue",
"verdict": "Shale and Storm Blue are very close colors. Shale is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.02:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Shale and Storm Blue are different blue and cyan colors with HEX values #59656F and #4F666A. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 11.2, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 11.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"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 Storm Blue, 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/shale/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json"
},
{
"slug": "storm-blue",
"name": "Storm Blue",
"hex": "#4F666A",
"rgb": [
79,
102,
106
],
"hsl": [
189,
15,
36
],
"cmyk": [
25,
4,
0,
58
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.1221,
"contrast": {
"black": 3.44,
"white": 6.1
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.1
},
"description": "Storm Blue is #4F666A, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Shale, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/storm-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/storm-blue.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 11.2,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 18,
"saturation": 4,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0037,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"muted"
],
"lighterColor": "Shale",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Storm Blue"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
"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": "Storm Blue",
"background": "#4F666A",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 6.1
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Shale is better when the design needs muted blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #59656F.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Storm Blue is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4F666A.",
"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-storm-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/shale.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/storm-blue.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/shale-vs-storm-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/shale-vs-storm-blue.json"
}