Steel Blue vs Clay — Difference, Contrast & Harmony

Steel Bluenearest vs Claynearest

#2B87AA · #AB6946

Four independent scores (read the one that fits your goal): Readability 1/100 (fail) · Harmony 98/100 (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.

Readability1Fail

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Fail1.1:1

Harmony98Complementary

Complementary

176° apart

Distinguishable100Easy to tell apart

normal

colorblind

ΔE 68

Match0Different

ΔE 68 — different

How different are Steel Blue and Clay?

Steel Blue and Clay are very different (ΔE 68). They have near-opposite hues (176° 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 Clay: 1.06:1 (Fail); Clay text on Steel Blue: 1.06:1 (Fail). Neither meets AA at body size — nudging one color to #000E17 clears it.

Common questions

Do Steel Blue and Clay go well together?

Complementary — complementary — a recognised, balanced pairing (harmony 98/100). This is about how they look together (clothing, interiors, branding), independent of text contrast.

Is Steel Blue readable as text on Clay?

Not at body size — the best direction is only 1.1:1, below the 4.5:1 minimum. Nudging one colour to #000E17 clears AA.

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

Their CIE76 ΔE is about 68 — very different.

Are Steel Blue and Clay the same colour?

clearly different colours (ΔE 68).

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