Colour distance

In order to measure the difference between two colours, the difference is assigned to a distance within the colour space. In an equidistant-method colour space, the colour difference ∆E can be determined from the distance between the colour places:

ΔE = √ (L*₁-L*₂)² + (a*₁-a*₂)² + (b*₁-b*₂)².

 

According to DIN 53218, Delta E is assigned the following meanings:

0: No colour difference

1: Slight colour difference

2: Small colour difference

3: Medium colour difference

4: Large colour difference

5: Very large colour difference

In industrial colour measurement, colour differences between 0 and 1 often play an important role.