Delta E calculator
Enter two colors to see how different they look, as ΔE 2000, ΔE 94 and ΔE 76. Use HEX, RGB, HSL, a CSS name, or CIELAB numbers.
Two colors
ΔE 10.88CIEDE2000
Clearly different: the difference is obvious.
| Formula | ΔE |
|---|---|
| CIEDE2000 | 10.8765 |
| CIE94 (graphic arts) | 11.2045 |
| CIE76 | 18.9751 |
| CIELAB D65 | L* | a* | b* |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 55.63 | 17.55 | -64.42 |
| Second | 46.06 | 30.97 | -73.82 |
How it is calculated
Each color is converted to CIELAB with the D65 white point. CIE76 is the straight-line distance between the two points. CIE94 uses the graphic arts weights (kL 1, K1 0.045, K2 0.015) with the first color as the reference, so swapping the colors can change it slightly. CIEDE2000 follows the implementation notes of Sharma, Wu and Dalal and is symmetric.
The same CIEDE2000 scale is used across this site, for example when matching a color to Pantone or to Tailwind.
Delta E: questions
- What is Delta E?
- Delta E (ΔE) is a number for how different two colors look. Both colors are converted to CIELAB, a space built so that equal distances roughly match equal visible differences, and a formula measures the distance between them. 0 means identical. On this site’s scale a CIEDE2000 below 1 counts as an excellent match.
- Which formula should I use: CIEDE2000, CIE94 or CIE76?
- Use CIEDE2000 unless a specification names another. CIE76 is the plain distance in CIELAB and overstates differences in saturated colors. CIE94 and CIEDE2000 correct for that; CIEDE2000, developed for the CIE and published in 2001 (Luo, Cui and Rigg), adds further corrections, among them for blues and near-grays.
- What is a good Delta E value?
- This site uses one scale for CIEDE2000: below 1 an excellent match, below 3 a good match, below 6 approximate, 6 or more a clearly different color. Industries set their own tolerances, so check yours: printing, paint and textiles each have their own limits and often their own formula settings.
- Can I enter CIELAB values directly?
- Yes. Type three numbers, L, a and b, for example 50, 2.6772, -79.7751. They are read as CIELAB with the D65 white point whenever the first number is from 0 to 100, so for RGB values write rgb(), for example rgb(100, 50, 50). CSS lab() and lch() are read as CSS defines them, with the D50 white, and converted to D65. HEX, RGB, HSL and CSS color names are converted to CIELAB D65 first.
- How do I know the numbers are right?
- The CIEDE2000 code is checked by the site’s test script against all 34 test pairs published by Sharma, Wu and Dalal (2005) and matches them to four decimal places. The table shows four decimals for that reason.
- Why does my other tool give a different number?
- Usually because of the white point or the formula settings. Some tools convert to CIELAB with a D50 white, as color-managed print software does; this page uses D65, the white of sRGB screens. For CIE94, this page uses the graphic arts weights described above.
Sources
- Sharma G., Wu W., Dalal E. N. (2005). The CIEDE2000 color-difference formula: implementation notes, supplementary test data, and mathematical observations. Color Research & Application 30(1), 21–30. DOI
- Luo M. R., Cui G., Rigg B. (2001). The development of the CIE 2000 colour-difference formula: CIEDE2000. Color Research & Application 26(5), 340–350. DOI
- culori, a JavaScript color library (MIT licence): the CIE76, CIE94 and CIEDE2000 functions we use; CIE94 with kL = 1, K1 = 0.045, K2 = 0.015. Link