Nearest-color comparison
Tyrian Purple #66023C vs Merlot #541E2E: RGB distance 36.1 and contrast 1.02:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Tyrian Purple and Merlot are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 36.1. Tyrian Purple is lighter by 0.0018, and Tyrian Purple is more saturated by 49 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 Tyrian Purple and Merlot across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
pink color
Tyrian Purple is #66023C, a warm pink with hue 325°, saturation 96% and luminance 0.0319. Beside Merlot, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 12.82:1.
pink color
Merlot is #541E2E, a warm pink with hue 342°, saturation 47% and luminance 0.0301. Beside Tyrian Purple, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 13.11:1.
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 Tyrian Purple and Merlot, 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": "tyrian-purple",
"name": "Tyrian Purple",
"hex": "#66023C",
"rgb": [
102,
2,
60
],
"hsl": [
325,
96,
20
],
"cmyk": [
0,
98,
41,
60
],
"family": "pink",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0319,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.64,
"white": 12.82
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.82
},
"description": "Tyrian Purple is #66023C, a warm pink color with dark character. Compared with Merlot, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for beauty branding, creative systems, and premium accents, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tyrian-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tyrian-purple.json"
},
{
"slug": "merlot",
"name": "Merlot",
"hex": "#541E2E",
"rgb": [
84,
30,
46
],
"hsl": [
342,
47,
22
],
"cmyk": [
0,
64,
45,
67
],
"family": "pink",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0301,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.6,
"white": 13.11
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 13.11
},
"description": "Merlot is #541E2E, a warm pink color with dark character. Compared with Tyrian Purple, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/merlot/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/merlot.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 36.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 17,
"saturation": 49,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0018,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Tyrian Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Tyrian Purple"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.02,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Tyrian Purple",
"background": "#66023C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.82
},
{
"color": "Merlot",
"background": "#541E2E",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 13.11
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Tyrian Purple is better when the design needs dark pink character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #66023C.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Merlot is better when the design needs dark pink character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #541E2E.",
"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/tyrian-purple-vs-merlot.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tyrian-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/merlot.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "tyrian-purple-vs-merlot",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Tyrian Purple vs Merlot",
"verdict": "Tyrian Purple and Merlot are visually related colors. Tyrian Purple 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": "Tyrian Purple and Merlot are different pink colors with HEX values #66023C and #541E2E. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 36.1, their contrast ratio is 1.02:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 36.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "tyrian-purple",
"name": "Tyrian Purple",
"hex": "#66023C",
"rgb": [
102,
2,
60
],
"hsl": [
325,
96,
20
],
"cmyk": [
0,
98,
41,
60
],
"family": "pink",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0319,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.64,
"white": 12.82
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.82
},
"description": "Tyrian Purple is #66023C, a warm pink color with dark character. Compared with Merlot, it is lighter and more saturated. Use it for beauty branding, creative systems, and premium accents, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/tyrian-purple/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tyrian-purple.json"
},
{
"slug": "merlot",
"name": "Merlot",
"hex": "#541E2E",
"rgb": [
84,
30,
46
],
"hsl": [
342,
47,
22
],
"cmyk": [
0,
64,
45,
67
],
"family": "pink",
"temperature": "warm",
"tone": [
"dark"
],
"luminance": 0.0301,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.6,
"white": 13.11
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 13.11
},
"description": "Merlot is #541E2E, a warm pink color with dark character. Compared with Tyrian Purple, it is darker and less saturated. Use it for branding accents, editorial palettes, and product design, with white text as the safer foreground option.",
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/colors/merlot/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/merlot.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 36.1,
"contrastRatio": 1.02,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 17,
"saturation": 49,
"lightness": 2
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.0018,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"dark"
],
"lighterColor": "Tyrian Purple",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Tyrian Purple"
},
"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": "Tyrian Purple",
"background": "#66023C",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.82
},
{
"color": "Merlot",
"background": "#541E2E",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 13.11
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Tyrian Purple is better when the design needs dark pink character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #66023C.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Merlot is better when the design needs dark pink character, warm temperature, and the specific HEX value #541E2E.",
"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/tyrian-purple-vs-merlot.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/tyrian-purple.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/merlot.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/tyrian-purple-vs-merlot/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/tyrian-purple-vs-merlot.json"
}