Rust vs Terracotta

Rust leans orange; Terracotta leans pink. The measured difference between their classic values is ΔE 18.1, clearly different colors.

Rust

RGB: 183, 65, 14
HSL: 18, 86%, 39%
OKLCH: 53.5% 0.163 39.5

Temperature: warm

Closest encyclopedia entry: Mahogany

Terracotta

RGB: 226, 114, 91
HSL: 10, 70%, 62%
OKLCH: 67.7% 0.144 32.9

Temperature: warm

Closest encyclopedia entry: Jelly Slug

Measured difference: ΔE 18.1 · clearly different colors. ΔE is a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart.

Guide

How to tell Rust and Terracotta apart

1 Terracotta is measurably lighter (14 points of OKLCH lightness). Squint: the one that survives is Rust.
2 Rust carries more chroma, so it reads more saturated. Terracotta looks grayer in direct comparison.
3 Check them against a true neutral gray: subtle undertones surface immediately next to something with no undertone at all.

Guide

When to use which

Rust passes AA for text on white (5.56:1), so it can work in type and trim, not just surfaces.

Terracotta is a surface color: it needs a dark background before it can carry text.

Palettes

Their palettes, side by side

Rust complementary palette

Terracotta complementary palette

Rust analogous palette

Terracotta analogous palette

FAQ

FAQs

Are Rust and Terracotta the same color?

No. Using their classic reference values, they differ by ΔE 18.1 (a measure of perceived color difference; below 2.3 most people can't tell colors apart). That makes them clearly different colors.

Which is darker, Rust or Terracotta?

Rust is darker: 14 points lower in OKLCH lightness than Terracotta.