Steel Blue vs Red — Difference, Contrast & Harmony

Steel Bluenearest vs Rednearest

#0681CD · #C14F6E

Four independent scores (read the one that fits your goal): Readability 2/100 (fail) · Harmony 92/100 (split-complementary) · Distinguishable 100/100 (easy to tell apart) · Match 0/100 (different). There is no single “good/bad” — a pair can clash for text yet be great for an outfit.

Readability2Fail

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Fail1.1:1

Harmony92Split-complementary

Split-complementary

141° apart

Distinguishable100Easy to tell apart

normal

colorblind

ΔE 73

Match0Different

ΔE 73 — different

How different are Steel Blue and Red?

Steel Blue and Red are very different (ΔE 73). They have distinctly different hues (141° apart) and their lightness is similar, so they read as two same-weight colours.

Can you read one on the other?

Steel Blue text on Red: 1.09:1 (Fail); Red text on Steel Blue: 1.09:1 (Fail). Neither meets AA at body size — nudging one color to #FCFEFF clears it.

Common questions

Do Steel Blue and Red go well together?

Split-complementary — split-complementary — a recognised, balanced pairing (harmony 92/100). This is about how they look together (clothing, interiors, branding), independent of text contrast.

Is Steel Blue readable as text on Red?

Not at body size — the best direction is only 1.1:1, below the 4.5:1 minimum. Nudging one colour to #FCFEFF clears AA.

What is the colour difference (ΔE) between Steel Blue and Red?

Their CIE76 ΔE is about 73 — very different.

Are Steel Blue and Red the same colour?

clearly different colours (ΔE 73).

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