Nearest-color comparison
Zaffre #0014A8 vs Ultramarine #120A8F: RGB distance 32.4 and contrast 1.14:1. Compare hue, luminance, saturation, WCAG and practical use.
Zaffre and Ultramarine are related but distinguishable, with an RGB distance of 32.4. Zaffre is lighter by 0.01, and Zaffre is more saturated by 13 percentage points. Their mutual contrast is 1.14:1. The pair is too close for a readable foreground/background combination and works better as neighboring palette colors.
The main measurable differences between Zaffre and Ultramarine across RGB distance, luminance, hue, saturation, and contrast.
blue color
Zaffre is #0014A8, a cool blue with hue 233°, saturation 100% and luminance 0.0333. Beside Ultramarine, it is lighter and more saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 12.61:1.
blue color
Ultramarine is #120A8F, a cool blue with hue 244°, saturation 87% and luminance 0.0233. Beside Zaffre, it is darker and less saturated. Of the two standard text choices, white text gives the higher contrast at 14.32:1.
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 Zaffre and Ultramarine, 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": "zaffre",
"name": "Zaffre",
"hex": "#0014A8",
"rgb": [
0,
20,
168
],
"hsl": [
233,
100,
33
],
"cmyk": [
100,
88,
0,
34
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0333,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.67,
"white": 12.61
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.61
},
"description": "Zaffre is #0014A8, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Ultramarine, it is lighter and more saturated. 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/zaffre/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zaffre.json"
},
{
"slug": "ultramarine",
"name": "Ultramarine",
"hex": "#120A8F",
"rgb": [
18,
10,
143
],
"hsl": [
244,
87,
30
],
"cmyk": [
87,
93,
0,
44
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0233,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.47,
"white": 14.32
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.32
},
"description": "Ultramarine is #120A8F, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Zaffre, it is darker and less saturated. 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/ultramarine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/ultramarine.json"
}
]{
"rgbDistance": 32.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.14,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 11,
"saturation": 13,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.01,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Zaffre",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Zaffre"
}{
"pairContrastRatio": 1.14,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Zaffre",
"background": "#0014A8",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.61
},
{
"color": "Ultramarine",
"background": "#120A8F",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.32
}
]
}{
"chooseFirstWhen": "Zaffre is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #0014A8.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Ultramarine is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #120A8F.",
"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/zaffre-vs-ultramarine.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zaffre.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/ultramarine.json"
]{
"datasetVersion": "1.0.0",
"slug": "zaffre-vs-ultramarine",
"type": "nearest",
"name": "Zaffre vs Ultramarine",
"verdict": "Zaffre and Ultramarine are visually related colors. Zaffre is the lighter option. They share similar temperature behavior. Their mutual contrast is 1.14:1, so the pair is too low for text and better treated as a palette relationship.",
"summary": "Zaffre and Ultramarine are different blue colors with HEX values #0014A8 and #120A8F. According to Colors Encyclopedia, their RGB distance is 32.4, their contrast ratio is 1.14:1, and the comparison helps choose between tone, temperature, and accessibility behavior.",
"rgbDistance": 32.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.14,
"colors": [
{
"slug": "zaffre",
"name": "Zaffre",
"hex": "#0014A8",
"rgb": [
0,
20,
168
],
"hsl": [
233,
100,
33
],
"cmyk": [
100,
88,
0,
34
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0333,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.67,
"white": 12.61
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.61
},
"description": "Zaffre is #0014A8, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Ultramarine, it is lighter and more saturated. 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/zaffre/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zaffre.json"
},
{
"slug": "ultramarine",
"name": "Ultramarine",
"hex": "#120A8F",
"rgb": [
18,
10,
143
],
"hsl": [
244,
87,
30
],
"cmyk": [
87,
93,
0,
44
],
"family": "blue",
"temperature": "cool",
"tone": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"luminance": 0.0233,
"contrast": {
"black": 1.47,
"white": 14.32
},
"wcag": {
"AA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
],
"AAA": [
"#FFFFFF",
"#F5F5F5"
]
},
"bestText": {
"text": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.32
},
"description": "Ultramarine is #120A8F, a cool blue color with jewel tone character. Compared with Zaffre, it is darker and less saturated. 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/ultramarine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/ultramarine.json"
}
],
"differences": {
"rgbDistance": 32.4,
"contrastRatio": 1.14,
"hslDelta": {
"hue": 11,
"saturation": 13,
"lightness": 3
},
"luminanceDelta": 0.01,
"sameFamily": true,
"sameTemperature": true,
"sharedTones": [
"jewel-tone"
],
"lighterColor": "Zaffre",
"moreSaturatedColor": "Zaffre"
},
"accessibility": {
"pairContrastRatio": 1.14,
"textRecommendation": "Do not use this pair for text; use it for neighboring palette colors, decoration, or low-emphasis surfaces.",
"safeText": [
{
"color": "Zaffre",
"background": "#0014A8",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 12.61
},
{
"color": "Ultramarine",
"background": "#120A8F",
"foreground": "#FFFFFF",
"label": "white text",
"ratio": 14.32
}
]
},
"useCases": {
"chooseFirstWhen": "Zaffre is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #0014A8.",
"chooseSecondWhen": "Ultramarine is better when the design needs jewel tone blue character, cool temperature, and the specific HEX value #120A8F.",
"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/zaffre-vs-ultramarine.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/zaffre.json",
"https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/colors/ultramarine.json"
],
"url": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/compare/zaffre-vs-ultramarine/",
"apiUrl": "https://www.colorsencyclopedia.com/api/compare/zaffre-vs-ultramarine.json"
}