Delta E CIE94 calculator
CIE94 improves on CIE76 by weighting chroma and hue differences according to the saturation of the reference color.
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How to use it
- Enter reference l*, reference a*, reference b*, sample l*, sample a* and sample b*.
- The result appears straight away and updates as you edit.
- Copy the result, or copy a link that keeps the same values to share it.
How it is calculated
ΔE94 = √((ΔL/kL)² + (ΔC/SC)² + (ΔH/SH)²), with SC = 1 + K1·C1, SH = 1 + K2·C1, C1 the reference chroma and ΔH² = Δa² + Δb² − ΔC².
Example
Inputs: Reference L* = 50, Reference a* = 2.5, Reference b* = 0, Sample L* = 73, Sample a* = 25. Result: ΔE*94: 34.6892; ΔL*: 23; ΔC* (chroma difference): 28.3058.
Limits and caveats
- CIE94 is not symmetric: swapping reference and sample changes the result because the weights use the reference chroma.
- CIEDE2000 has replaced it in most current specifications.
Questions about this tool
Graphic arts or textiles?
Graphic arts for print, packaging and screens; textiles for fabrics, where lightness differences are tolerated more (kL = 2).
Why does swapping the colors change the result?
Because SC and SH use the chroma of the reference color only, as CIE 116-1995 specifies.
Is CIE94 more accurate than CIE76?
Usually yes, especially for saturated colors, but CIEDE2000 does better again in blues and near-neutrals.