Nearest-color comparison
Taupe #483C32 vs Graphite #383838: RGB distance 17.5 and contrast 1.1:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Taupe and Graphite are very close, with an RGB distance of 17.5. Taupe is lighter by 0.0089, and Taupe is more saturated by 18 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.1:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Taupe and Graphite across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
orange color
Taupe is #483C32, a warm orange with hue 27°, saturation 18% and luminance 0.0484. Beside Graphite, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 10.67:1.
gray color
Graphite is #383838, a neutral gray with hue 0°, saturation 0% and luminance 0.0395. Beside Taupe, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 11.73:1.
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 Taupe and Graphite, 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": "taupe",
"name": "Taupe",
"hex": "#483C32",
"rgb": [
72,
60,
50
],
"hsl": [
27,
18,
24
],
"cmyk": [
0,
17,
31,
72
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"dark",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0484,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.97,
"white": 10.67
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.67
},
"description": "Taupe is #483C32, a warm orange color with dark and earth tone character. Compared with Graphite, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/taupe/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/taupe.json"
},
{
"slug": "graphite",
"name": "Graphite",
"hex": "#383838",
"rgb": [
56,
56,
56
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
22
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
78
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0395,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.79,
"white": 11.73
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.73
},
"description": "Graphite is #383838, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Taupe, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/graphite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 17.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 27,
"saturation": 18,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0089,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Taupe",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Taupe"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.1,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Taupe",
"background": "#483C32",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.67
},
{
"color": "Graphite",
"background": "#383838",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.73
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Taupe is better when the design needs dark and earth tone orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #483C32.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Graphite is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #383838.",
"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/taupe-vs-graphite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/taupe.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "taupe-vs-graphite",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Taupe vs Graphite",
"verdict": "Taupe and Graphite are very close colors. Taupe is the lighter option. Taupe reads warmer. Their mutual contrast is 1.1:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Taupe and Graphite are different orange and gray colors with HEX values #483C32 and #383838. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 17.5, their contrast ratio is 1.1:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 17.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "taupe",
"name": "Taupe",
"hex": "#483C32",
"rgb": [
72,
60,
50
],
"hsl": [
27,
18,
24
],
"cmyk": [
0,
17,
31,
72
],
"family": "orange",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"dark",
"earth-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0484,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.97,
"white": 10.67
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.67
},
"description": "Taupe is #483C32, a warm orange color with dark and earth tone character. Compared with Graphite, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/taupe/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/taupe.json"
},
{
"slug": "graphite",
"name": "Graphite",
"hex": "#383838",
"rgb": [
56,
56,
56
],
"hsl": [
0,
0,
22
],
"cmyk": [
0,
0,
0,
78
],
"family": "gray",
"temperature": "neutral",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0395,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.79,
"white": 11.73
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.73
},
"description": "Graphite is #383838, a neutral gray color with dark character. Compared with Taupe, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for backgrounds, typography, and product surfaces, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/graphite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 17.5,
"contrastRatio": 1.1,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 27,
"saturation": 18,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0089,
"sameFamily": false,
"sameTemperature": false,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Taupe",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Taupe"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.1,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Taupe",
"background": "#483C32",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 10.67
},
{
"color": "Graphite",
"background": "#383838",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 11.73
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Taupe is better when the design needs dark and earth tone orange character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #483C32.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Graphite is better when the design needs dark gray character, neutral temperature, and the specific HEX value #383838.",
"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/taupe-vs-graphite.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/taupe.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/graphite.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/taupe-vs-graphite/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/taupe-vs-graphite.json"
}