Nearest-color comparison
Smalt #003399 vs Cobalt Blue #0047AB: RGB distance 26.9 and contrast 1.29:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Smalt and Cobalt Blue are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 26.9. Cobalt Blue is lighter by 0.0278, and their saturation is equal. Their mutual contrast is 1.29:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Smalt and Cobalt Blue across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Smalt is #003399, a cool blue with hue 220°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0467. Beside Cobalt Blue, it is darker and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 10.86:1.
blue color
Cobalt Blue is #0047AB, a cool blue with hue 215°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0745. Beside Smalt, it is lighter and equally saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 8.43:1.
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 Smalt and Cobalt 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": "smalt",
"name": "Smalt",
"hex": "#003399",
"rgb": [
0,
51,
153
],
"hsl": [
220,
100,
30
],
"cmyk": [
100,
67,
0,
40
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0467,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.93,
"white": 10.86
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.86
},
"description": "Smalt is #003399, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Cobalt Blue, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/smalt/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/smalt.json"
},
{
"slug": "cobalt-blue",
"name": "Cobalt Blue",
"hex": "#0047AB",
"rgb": [
0,
71,
171
],
"hsl": [
215,
100,
34
],
"cmyk": [
100,
58,
0,
33
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0745,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.49,
"white": 8.43
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.43
},
"description": "Cobalt Blue is #0047AB, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Smalt, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cobalt-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-blue.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 26.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.29,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 5,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0278,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Cobalt Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Smalt"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.29,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Smalt",
"background": "#003399",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.86
},
{
"color": "Cobalt Blue",
"background": "#0047AB",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.43
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Smalt is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #003399.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cobalt Blue is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #0047AB.",
"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/smalt-vs-cobalt-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/smalt.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-blue.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "smalt-vs-cobalt-blue",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Smalt vs Cobalt Blue",
"verdict": "Smalt and Cobalt Blue are visually related colors. Cobalt Blue is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.29:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Smalt and Cobalt Blue are different blue colors with HEX values #003399 and #0047AB. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 26.9, their contrast ratio is 1.29:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 26.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.29,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "smalt",
"name": "Smalt",
"hex": "#003399",
"rgb": [
0,
51,
153
],
"hsl": [
220,
100,
30
],
"cmyk": [
100,
67,
0,
40
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0467,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.93,
"white": 10.86
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.86
},
"description": "Smalt is #003399, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Cobalt Blue, it is darker and similar in saturation. Use it for historical references, pigment palettes, and cultural color systems, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/smalt/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/smalt.json"
},
{
"slug": "cobalt-blue",
"name": "Cobalt Blue",
"hex": "#0047AB",
"rgb": [
0,
71,
171
],
"hsl": [
215,
100,
34
],
"cmyk": [
100,
58,
0,
33
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0745,
"contrast": {
"black": 2.49,
"white": 8.43
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.43
},
"description": "Cobalt Blue is #0047AB, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Smalt, it is lighter and similar in saturation. Use it for interfaces, brand systems, and technical design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cobalt-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-blue.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 26.9,
"contrastRatio": 1.29,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 5,
"saturation": 0,
"lightness": 4
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0278,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Cobalt Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Smalt"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.29,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Smalt",
"background": "#003399",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.86
},
{
"color": "Cobalt Blue",
"background": "#0047AB",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 8.43
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Smalt is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #003399.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cobalt Blue is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #0047AB.",
"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/smalt-vs-cobalt-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/smalt.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cobalt-blue.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/smalt-vs-cobalt-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/smalt-vs-cobalt-blue.json"
}