Colour comparison

Steelers vs Cardinals colors

Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals and their primary colours sit 4.55:1 apart in lightness with a perceptual difference of 87.2. Every cross-team pairing is measured below.

These values are not yet verified

The colour values on this page are illustrative placeholders used while the site is being built. Each one must be traced to the team's own published brand assets and dated before it is presented as fact — see the method page. Do not use these figures for print or production yet.

Steelers vs Cardinals

Clear
Colour difference
ΔE 87.2
Lightness contrast
4.55:1

The same two colours in greyscale — what a monochrome feed, and a viewer with colour vision deficiency, has to work with.

The two palettes

Pittsburgh Steelers National Football League
Gold #FFB612
Black #101820

All Steelers values →

Arizona Cardinals National Football League
Cardinal Red #97233F
Black #000000
Yellow #FFB612

All Cardinals values →

Every cross-team pairing

6 measured
Contrast for every Steelers colour against every Cardinals colour
Steelers colour #97233F #000000 #FFB612
#FFB612 4.55:1 AA 11.95:1 AAA 1.00:1 Fails
#101820 2.24:1 Fails 1.17:1 Fails 10.18:1 AAA
Steelers on Cardinals
Strongest pairing

Gold on Black is the highest-contrast combination across the two palettes. Use it for anything carrying text.

11.95:1 AAA
Steelers on Cardinals
Weakest pairing

Gold on Yellow is the lowest-contrast combination, and the one a designer reaches for by accident when both teams want their signature colour.

1.00:1 Fails

What the verdict means

A colour clash takes two measurements, not one. Perceptual difference says how far apart two colours look to the eye with hue included; lightness contrast says what survives when colour is removed. Judged on lightness alone, a navy and a purple can score identically to navy against itself, which is plainly wrong. Judged on hue alone, two colours that separate clearly in colour can merge completely in a monochrome broadcast.

For Steelers and Cardinals the two figures are ΔE 87.2 and 4.55:1, which together give a verdict of clear. Both measurements are comfortable, so these two read as distinct teams in every medium.

The National Football League divides its thirty-two teams between two conferences, and uniform colour is regulated more tightly here than in any other major league: a team must register its colours with the league, and opposing teams are required to wear contrasting jerseys so that broadcast audiences can tell them apart.

Design with either palette

Take Steelers or Cardinals colours into the design studio, add your own artwork, and check the result for print problems before committing to a run.

Every other Steelers comparison

30 matchups

Every other Cardinals comparison

30 matchups