Nearest-color comparison
Steel Blue #4682B4 vs Cadet Blue #5F9EA0: RGB distance 42.5 and contrast 1.35:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Steel Blue and Cadet Blue are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 42.5. Cadet Blue is lighter by 0.0886, and Steel Blue is more saturated by 19 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.35:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Steel Blue and Cadet Blue across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Steel Blue is #4682B4, a cool blue with hue 207°, saturation 44% and luminance 0.2056. Beside Cadet Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 5.11:1.
cyan color
Cadet Blue is #5F9EA0, a cool cyan with hue 182°, saturation 25% and luminance 0.2942. Beside Steel Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, black text gives the higher contrast at 6.88:1.
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 Steel Blue and Cadet 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": "steel-blue",
"name": "Steel Blue",
"hex": "#4682B4",
"rgb": [
70,
130,
180
],
"hsl": [
207,
44,
49
],
"cmyk": [
61,
28,
0,
29
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.2056,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.11,
"white": 4.11
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.11
},
"description": "Steel Blue is #4682B4, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Cadet Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/steel-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "cadet-blue",
"name": "Cadet Blue",
"hex": "#5F9EA0",
"rgb": [
95,
158,
160
],
"hsl": [
182,
25,
50
],
"cmyk": [
41,
1,
0,
37
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2942,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.88,
"white": 3.05
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.88
},
"description": "Cadet Blue is #5F9EA0, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Steel Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cadet-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadet-blue.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 42.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.35,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 25,
"saturation": 19,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0886,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Cadet Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Steel Blue"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.35,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Steel Blue",
"background": "#4682B4",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.11
},
{
"color": "Cadet Blue",
"background": "#5F9EA0",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.88
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Steel Blue is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4682B4.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cadet Blue is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #5F9EA0.",
"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/steel-blue-vs-cadet-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadet-blue.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "steel-blue-vs-cadet-blue",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Steel Blue vs Cadet Blue",
"verdict": "Steel Blue and Cadet Blue are visually related colors. Cadet Blue is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.35:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Steel Blue and Cadet Blue are different blue and cyan colors with HEX values #4682B4 and #5F9EA0. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 42.5, their contrast ratio is 1.35:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 42.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.35,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "steel-blue",
"name": "Steel Blue",
"hex": "#4682B4",
"rgb": [
70,
130,
180
],
"hsl": [
207,
44,
49
],
"cmyk": [
61,
28,
0,
29
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"balanced"
],
"luminance": 0.2056,
"contrast": {
"black": 5.11,
"white": 4.11
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.11
},
"description": "Steel Blue is #4682B4, a cool blue color with balanced character. Compared with Cadet Blue, it is darker and more saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/steel-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-blue.json"
},
{
"slug": "cadet-blue",
"name": "Cadet Blue",
"hex": "#5F9EA0",
"rgb": [
95,
158,
160
],
"hsl": [
182,
25,
50
],
"cmyk": [
41,
1,
0,
37
],
"family": "cyan",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"muted"
],
"luminance": 0.2942,
"contrast": {
"black": 6.88,
"white": 3.05
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#000000",
"#1A1A1A"
],
"AAA": []
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.88
},
"description": "Cadet Blue is #5F9EA0, a cool cyan color with muted character. Compared with Steel Blue, it is lighter and less saturated. Use it for web design, css color systems, and ui prototyping, with black text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/cadet-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadet-blue.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 42.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.35,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 25,
"saturation": 19,
"lightness": 1
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0886,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [],
"lighterColor": "Cadet Blue",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Steel Blue"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.35,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Steel Blue",
"background": "#4682B4",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 5.11
},
{
"color": "Cadet Blue",
"background": "#5F9EA0",
"foreground": "#000000",
"label": "black text",
"ratio": 6.88
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Steel Blue is better when the design needs balanced blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #4682B4.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Cadet Blue is better when the design needs muted cyan character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #5F9EA0.",
"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/steel-blue-vs-cadet-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/steel-blue.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/cadet-blue.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/steel-blue-vs-cadet-blue/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/steel-blue-vs-cadet-blue.json"
}