Nearest-color comparison

Soapstone vs Primer Gray

Soapstone and Primer Gray are different gray colors with HEX values #8D9A91 and #8B8C89. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 16.2, their contrast ratio is 1.15:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.

Soapstone and Primer Gray are very close colors. Soapstone is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.15:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.

Differences Use cases Accessibility JSON

Soapstone#8D9A91

Primer Gray#8B8C89

Quick Difference Summary

The main measurable differences between Soapstone and Primer Gray across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.

RGB distance16.2

Pair contrast1.15:1

Luminance delta0.0477

Hue delta58 deg

Lighter colorSoapstone

More saturatedSoapstone

Side-by-Side Color Profiles

gray color

Soapstone

Soapstone is #8D9A91, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Primer Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#8D9A91 RGB141, 154, 145 HSL138, 6, 58 CMYK8, 0, 6, 40 Luminance0.3082 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

gray color

Primer Gray

Primer Gray is #8B8C89, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Soapstone, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.

HEX#8B8C89 RGB139, 140, 137 HSL80, 1, 54 CMYK1, 0, 2, 45 Luminance0.2605 Best textblack text

Color page WCAG HEX atlas

When to Use Soapstone or Primer Gray

Choose SoapstoneSoapstone is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8D9A91.

Choose Primer GrayPrimer Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8B8C89.

Use togetherUse these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs.

Technical Comparison Table

PropertySoapstonePrimer Gray

HEX#8D9A91#8B8C89

RGB141, 154, 145139, 140, 137

HSL138, 6, 5880, 1, 54

CMYK8, 0, 6, 401, 0, 2, 45

FamilyGrayGray

TemperatureNeutralNeutral

ToneMutedMuted

Luminance0.30820.2605

Black contrast7.16:16.21:1

White contrast2.93:13.38:1

Shared tonesMuted

Accessibility and Contrast

Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.

Soapstoneblack text - 7.16:1

Primer Grayblack text - 6.21:1

Related Palette Strip

A compact visual strip showing the two compared colors with nearby harmony and variant context.

Soapstone#8D9A91

Primer Gray#8B8C89

#BEC5C0#BEC5C0

#B8B8B7#B8B8B7

#9A8D96#9A8D96

#89898B#89898B

colorsBoth named color records with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, luminance, WCAG, and links

differencesRGB distance, HSL deltas, luminance delta, contrast, and shared attributes

accessibilityPair contrast and safer text choices for each color

useCasesWhen to choose each color and when to use them together

relatedApiMachine-readable comparison and color endpoints

Structured sections

Colors

[
  {
    "slug": "soapstone",
    "name": "Soapstone",
    "hex": "#8D9A91",
    "rgb": [
      141,
      154,
      145
    ],
    "hsl": [
      138,
      6,
      58
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      8,
      0,
      6,
      40
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.3082,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 7.16,
      "white": 2.93
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A"
      ],
      "AAA": [
        "#000000"
      ]
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 7.16
    },
    "description": "Soapstone is #8D9A91, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Primer Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/soapstone/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json"
  },
  {
    "slug": "primer-gray",
    "name": "Primer Gray",
    "hex": "#8B8C89",
    "rgb": [
      139,
      140,
      137
    ],
    "hsl": [
      80,
      1,
      54
    ],
    "cmyk": [
      1,
      0,
      2,
      45
    ],
    "family": "gray",
    "temperature": "neutral",
    "tone": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "luminance": 0.2605,
    "contrast": {
      "black": 6.21,
      "white": 3.38
    },
    "wcag": {
      "AA": [
        "#000000",
        "#1A1A1A"
      ],
      "AAA": []
    },
    "bestText": {
      "text": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 6.21
    },
    "description": "Primer Gray is #8B8C89, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Soapstone, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
    "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/primer-gray/",
    "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
  }
]

Differences

{
  "rgbDistance": 16.2,
  "contrastRatio": 1.15,
  "hslDelta": {
    "hue": 58,
    "saturation": 5,
    "lightness": 4
  },
  "luminanceDelta": 0.0477,
  "sameFamily": true,
  "sameTemperature": true,
  "sharedTones": [
    "muted"
  ],
  "lighterColor": "Soapstone",
  "moreSaturatedColor": "Soapstone"
}

Accessibility

{
  "pairContrastRatio": 1.15,
  "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
  "safeText": [
    {
      "color": "Soapstone",
      "background": "#8D9A91",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 7.16
    },
    {
      "color": "Primer Gray",
      "background": "#8B8C89",
      "foreground": "#000000",
      "label": "black text",
      "ratio": 6.21
    }
  ]
}

Use cases

{
  "chooseFirstWhen": "Soapstone is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8D9A91.",
  "chooseSecondWhen": "Primer Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8B8C89.",
  "useTogetherWhen": "Use these colors together as related palette neighbors, subtle material differences, or tonal alternatives rather than readable foreground/background pairs."
}

Related API

[
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/soapstone-vs-primer-gray.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json",
  "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
]

Full JSON dataset

{
  "datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
  "slug": "soapstone-vs-primer-gray",
  "type": "nearest",
  "name": "Soapstone vs Primer Gray",
  "verdict": "Soapstone and Primer Gray are very close colors. Soapstone is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.15:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
  "summary": "Soapstone and Primer Gray are different gray colors with HEX values #8D9A91 and #8B8C89. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 16.2, their contrast ratio is 1.15:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
  "rgbDistance": 16.2,
  "contrastRatio": 1.15,
  "colors": [
    {
      "slug": "soapstone",
      "name": "Soapstone",
      "hex": "#8D9A91",
      "rgb": [
        141,
        154,
        145
      ],
      "hsl": [
        138,
        6,
        58
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        8,
        0,
        6,
        40
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.3082,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 7.16,
        "white": 2.93
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A"
        ],
        "AAA": [
          "#000000"
        ]
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 7.16
      },
      "description": "Soapstone is #8D9A91, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Primer Gray, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for earth-tone palettes, interior design, and material-inspired branding, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/soapstone/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json"
    },
    {
      "slug": "primer-gray",
      "name": "Primer Gray",
      "hex": "#8B8C89",
      "rgb": [
        139,
        140,
        137
      ],
      "hsl": [
        80,
        1,
        54
      ],
      "cmyk": [
        1,
        0,
        2,
        45
      ],
      "family": "gray",
      "temperature": "neutral",
      "tone": [
        "muted"
      ],
      "luminance": 0.2605,
      "contrast": {
        "black": 6.21,
        "white": 3.38
      },
      "wcag": {
        "AA": [
          "#000000",
          "#1A1A1A"
        ],
        "AAA": []
      },
      "bestText": {
        "text": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 6.21
      },
      "description": "Primer Gray is #8B8C89, a neutral gray color with muted character. Compared with Soapstone, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for industrial design, safety systems, and hardware palettes, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
      "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/primer-gray/",
      "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
    }
  ],
  "differences": {
    "rgbDistance": 16.2,
    "contrastRatio": 1.15,
    "hslDelta": {
      "hue": 58,
      "saturation": 5,
      "lightness": 4
    },
    "luminanceDelta": 0.0477,
    "sameFamily": true,
    "sameTemperature": true,
    "sharedTones": [
      "muted"
    ],
    "lighterColor": "Soapstone",
    "moreSaturatedColor": "Soapstone"
  },
  "accessibility": {
    "pairContrastRatio": 1.15,
    "textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
    "safeText": [
      {
        "color": "Soapstone",
        "background": "#8D9A91",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 7.16
      },
      {
        "color": "Primer Gray",
        "background": "#8B8C89",
        "foreground": "#000000",
        "label": "black text",
        "ratio": 6.21
      }
    ]
  },
  "useCases": {
    "chooseFirstWhen": "Soapstone is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8D9A91.",
    "chooseSecondWhen": "Primer Gray is better when the design needs muted gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #8B8C89.",
    "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/soapstone-vs-primer-gray.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/soapstone.json",
    "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/primer-gray.json"
  ],
  "url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/soapstone-vs-primer-gray/",
  "apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/soapstone-vs-primer-gray.json"
}